BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Beavers were the victors on Friday night in the Sommer Center, dominating the Pioneers by a score of 69-53. The game never felt close as Bluffton dominated from start to finish. The Beavers snapped a three-game skid, improving to 11-3 on the season while the Pioneers fell to 6-8.
The first half of the game was Jameel Cosby's (Kenton Ridge/Springfield) show. The junior guard scored 15 points, dropping in a stunning 6-of-9 from the field and 3-of-4 from downtown. In addition to dominating the scoring column, Cosby also had six rebounds and three assists. Backcourt mate Dezman Brown (Elyria) bucketed six points on two triples while ripping down four rebounds.
The Beavers were explosive on the offensive end in the half, shooting a crazy 57.1 percent from three-point range, compared to Transylvania's paltry 8.3 percent (1-of-12). The home team detonated over the final 4:43 of the first period, going on a 15-1 run that saw the Beavers drill 5-of-6 from long range! Bluffton's jag gave them a commanding 34-22 lead at the break.
In the second half sophomore forward Marcus Bruns (Coldwater) was aggressive, putting up eight points on a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 2-of-2 from the free throw line. Brown stayed active in the half, scoring another four points as well as snagging four more rebounds.
Freshman point guard Damian Davis (Bexley) took over in the second stanza, scoring all of his career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 from the field, 2-of-2 from the 3-point line and a perfect 3-for-3 at the charity stripe. Davis was aggressive, getting to the cup at ease and he dished two nice assists as well. Bluffton stretched its lead to as many as 26 (65-39) with 5:49 to play and the final 69-53 margin was the closest Transy could get over the final 10 minutes.
The high scorer for the Beavers was Cosby (17). Other double-digit scorers were Davis (15), Bruns (11) and Brown (10). The man who pulled down the most boards tonight was under six feet tall with Brown grabbing nine caroms which equaled his career best and left him just one board shy of his first double-double. Ronnie James (Benedictine/Cleveland) dropped a team-high five dimes.
Bluffton ripped down 12 more rebounds (39-27) and hit a blazing 10-of-23 (45.3 percent) from distance, compared to just 2-of-21 (9.5 percent) for the visitors. The two teams combined for only 20 turnovers with Bluffton giving it up 11 times.
The Beavers will be back at it on Saturday, Feb. 20, when they venture to Lexington, Ky., hoping for similar success against the Pioneers. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. in the Beck Center following the women's contest at Transylvania.
-BEAVERS-
