BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball team dropped a 75-65 decision to Franklin College on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022. Bluffton fell to 5-16 overall and 1-12 in the Heartland Conference, while Franklin avenged its 70-65 January loss to Bluffton, improving to 10-14 overall and 6-9 in the HCAC.
On an Alumni Day that saw nearly 30 former men's basketball players returning for their annual three-point barrage, senior Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) was honored for becoming the 31st Beaver to eclipse 1,000 career points. Handing him the ball was Andrew Renner, the last men's basketball player to surpass 1,000 markers, which he did in 2020!
Franklin used a 17-4 spurt late in the first half to open a commanding 43-26 spread with 2:23 on the clock. Juniors Mike Ketner (Minster) and Marcus Bruns (Coldwater) drilled back-to-back triples and Cosby pulled up for two in the paint as Bluffton trailed just 45-34 at the break.
The home team started to chip away in the second stanza, trimming the deficit to six when Cosby got to the rack at the 14:42 mark. A Matt Krause three pushed Franklin back up by nine, but the Beavers used a 12-2 jag to go up 57-56 following a Chad Frey (Lima/Bath) jumper in the paint! Four straight counters by Cosby had Bluffton up 63-62 before the Beavers ran out of gas. The Grizzlies scored 13 straight and save for a Cosby layin at the buzzer, kept Bluffton out of the scoring column for the final five minutes.
Cosby came up just one shy of his career high, hitting 10-of-19 from the field and 7-for-8 at the line for a game-high 30 points. He also ripped down 11 boards for his 8th double-double and second in four days. Ketner and Miguel Ringer (Cincinnati/Christian) chipped in with eight and seven counters, respectively. Michael Stammen (Versailles) and Cosby both handed out four assists, while Kegan Owen (Indianapolis, Ind./Greenwood) hauled in five caroms.
Bluffton hit 23-of-54 (42.6 percent) from the field, but just 7-for-21 (33.3 percent) on triples. The Beavers also struggled to a 12-of-18 (66.7 percent) afternoon at the line. The home team pulled down two more rebounds (34-32), but also turned it over one more time (12-11). Franklin finished with a 14-6 edge in second chance points.
The Beavers are back in the Sommer Center for a rare Tuesday night Heartland Conference tussle when they welcome Manchester University for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff.
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