By: Takayla Gadberry, sports information alumna
BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Bluffton University men's basketball team dropped an 82-71 decision to Alma College on Tuesday, Nov. 22. The Beavers dipped to 0-4 on the season, while the Scots improved to 2-1.
Alma cracked the scoreboard first before Kegan Owen (Indianapolis, IN/Greenwood) answered back with four straight points, giving the Beavers a 4-3 lead. Alma took control until Owen broke it up with a trifecta which made it a two-point game (12-10). Buckets from Connor Martin (Holland/Springfield) and Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) put Bluffton up 14-12 with 10:37 left in the first half.
Bluffton held the lead for over five minutes before a 10-0 run by the Scotts put the visitors on top 34-28 with just under two minutes in the half. Freshman Brady Wheeler (Lima/Shawnee) nailed two more shots in less than 40 seconds to help the home team pull within two (38-36) at the half.
Bluffton started the second period on fire and regained control when shots from Michael Stammen (Versailles) and Owen gave the good guys a 40-38 lead. The game stayed neck-and-neck for the next eight minutes before eight straight markers for the Scots pushed the spread to seven (62-55). A Stammen triple followed by a JD Stokes (West Harrison, IN/Franklin County) layup had the Beavers down just three (68-65) before a 14-6 run for Alma secured the 82-71 road victory.
Owen and Wheeler ran the Beaver offense with 20 points apiece. It marked the third straight career high for Wheeler who has gone for 12, 18 and 20 in consecutive games! Stammen was the only other player in double digits with 13 points on the board. He also powered the defense with a career-best eight boards, while Owen managed to swipe the ball from the visitors a career-high four times.
Bluffton lost the shooting contest, going 29-of-64 (45.3 percent) from the field and 6-of-18 (33.3 percent) from distance, compared to 31-of-58 (53.4 percent) overall and 12-of-25 from beyond the arc for Alma. The Beavers did fare better at the charity stripe, hitting 7-of-8 (87.5 percent), compared to 8-of-11 (72.7 percent) for the Scots. Alma pulled down 10 more boards (37-27) but turned the ball over three more times (17-14). The Beavers also won the battle in the paint with 36 to 34.
The men are back in action on Sunday, Nov. 27, when they travel to Purdue Fort Wayne for an exhibition with the NCAA Division I Mastodons! Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. Go Beavers!
-BEAVERS-
