BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball team went the distance and then some, twice, on the way to an 89-84 victory over Manchester University on Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. The double-overtime thriller was like Maxwell House, good to the last drop, as the Beavers snapped a nine-game skid while improving to 6-16 overall and 2-12 in the Heartland Conference. Manchester slipped to 8-15 and 7-9 in the HCAC.
The score was knotted at 67-67 after 40 minutes and 73-73 five minutes later before Bluffton put its stamp on the second extra session with an 8-2 spurt that was powered by four points from senior Chad Frey (Lima/Bath). Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) drained four freebies, Marcus Bruns (Coldwater) added a pair from the charity stripe and Kegan Owen (Indianapolis, Ind./Greenwood) followed with two more before a Manchester triple and Bluffton turnover gave the visitors a chance, down three with 13 seconds on the clock. Cosby came up with a huge steal and went coast-to-coast for the clincher as the Beavers picked up HCAC win number two, 89-84, in 50 minutes of action.
Manchester opened a 41-35 lead at the break thanks to red-hot 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from beyond the arc. Cosby and Owen kept Bluffton within striking distance, scoring 12 and 10, respectively. Owen was 4-of-7 from the field and Cosby went 5-for-10 in the opening stanza. Michael Stammen (Versailles) ripped down four rebounds to lead the home team.
The Beavers fell behind by eight early in period two, but five straight counters from Owen and a Cosby jumper put Bluffton up 50-49 at the 12:52 mark. A Frey trifecta and two Stammen makes at the line helped the Beavers to a 59-52 spread with less than seven minutes to play. Sparty came all the way back and led 67-64 with 15 ticks on the clock when Cosby drilled a deep triple, sending the game to overtime knotted at 67 apiece.
Owen hit the only bucket in the first overtime as the teams traded misses on the way to period number four which kicked off tied at 73.
Cosby led all scorers with 27 big ones. He also ripped down a career-high 13 rebounds, all on the defensive end, on the way to his 9th double double. The standout senior stuffed the stat sheet with four steals and two assists. Junior Marcus Bruns netted his first career double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Owen smashed his career high with 23 points on 9-of-17 shooting, while Frey checked in with 14 points and six rebounds, which equaled his career best. He also doled out a career-high five dimes!
Bluffton hit 30-of-79 from the field for 38.0 percent, including a paltry 6-for-24 (25.0 percent) outside the arc. The Beavers knocked down 23-of-31 (74.2 percent) at the line. Bluffton pulled down six more rebounds (49-43) and Manchester coughed it up seven more times (17-10).
The Beavers will welcome long-time rival Defiance College for a Senior Night showdown with the Yellow Jackets on Friday, Feb. 18, 2022. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. following the women's 6 p.m. matchup with DC.
-BEAVERS-
