By: Nathan Zuercher, sports information assistant

RICHMOND, Ind. - The Beavers headed to Earlham College on Friday, Jan. 22, to battle the Quakers. The Beavers bested the home team, winning 69-55 and staying undefeated at 6-0 on the season while the Quakers fell to 1-2.

The Beavers came out rolling in the first half, taking an early 11-2 lead over the Quake. The momentum was fueled by junior guard Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) who was perfect from behind the arc in the first, shooting a superb three-for-three. He finished the half with a startling 21 points. Senior Aaron Rich (Greenville) would not stand by and watch Cosby do it all himself though, adding 10 of his own first half points and dominating the paint in every aspect possible.

Going into the break the Beavers led the Quakers by 12 (31-19), thanks to their stifling defense. Bluffton drained 50 percent (12-of-24) from the floor and 30 percent (3-of-10) from behind the mark compared the Earlham's 30.8 percent (8-of-26) and paltry 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from deep.

The second half was more of the same for the Beavers with their scoring staying steady but the Quakers picked it up on their offensive end. Former HCAC Defensive Player of the Year Dezman Brown (Elyria) showed why he earned it with his 3 and D ablilities. Brown had a steal and two three-pointers to add to his total of 17 points. Marcus Bruns (Coldwater) pulled down two more rebounds in the half to give him a total of four points and four boards for the game as the Beavers went on to claim a 69-55 victory.

The three double-digit scores in the game were Cosby with a career-high 25, Brown (17) and Rich (16). Senior Ronnie James (Cleveland/Benedictine) and sophomore Mike Ketner (Minster) led the squad with four assists apiece. Rich pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, giving him a double-double for the evening. Brown finished with three steals and Cosby blocked three Quaker shots.

The Beavers lit it up for 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the field, compared to the Quakers 40 percent (22-of-55). Bluffton pulled down four more rebounds (32-28) and the Beavers turned it over two fewer times (13-11)

The rematch for these two HCAC rivals takes place in Bluffton on Saturday night with a tip time of 7 p.m. when they reconvene in the Sommer Center!

-BEAVERS-