RICHMOND, Ind. - The Bluffton University men's basketball team fell to 4-10 overall and 2-5 in the Heartland Conference following an 85-59 road loss at Earlham College on Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2023. Earlham upped its mark to 2-12 and 1-6 in the HCAC.
The Beavers were knotted up at 26 apiece going to the break, but Earlham turned on the jets in the second half, outscoring the visitors by a comfortable 59-33 margin. Bluffton led by as many as seven just over six minutes into the game as Michael Stammen (Versailles) found the basket three times and freshman Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) drilled a triple try.
Earlham responded with 10 straight for 14-11 Quaker advantage and then the game went back and forth for the remainder of the opening stanza. JD Stokes (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) sandwiched a pair of paint deuces around a Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Christian) jumper and Kegan Owen (Indianapolis, Ind./Greenwood) scored five straight in the final 1:41 to knot the score at 26 heading to the break.
A 9-0 run for the Quakers to open the second frame set the course for the final result. Brady Wheeler (Lima/Shawnee) hit from outside the arc with 14:37 to play, but 42-37 was as close as Bluffton would get in period two. Earlham led by as many as 28 and the Quakers finished off the 85-59 victory despite a three-pointer from Caden Slusher (Rockford/Parkway), a pair of William Layfield (West Chester/Lakota West) freebies and another Rogers jumper with the clock winding down.
Owen was the bright spot on Wednesday night, hitting 9-of-12 from the field, including a perfect 4-of-4 outside the arc en route to a career-best 25 markers! Stammen and Stokes added six points apiece. Owen also led the Beavers with five rebounds. Stammen doled out a game-high five dimes.
Bluffton shot well from the field, knocking down 23-of-49 (46.9 percent) attempts. The Beavers were even better from distance, draining 7-for-11 (63.6 percent). Earlham was unconscious from three-ball land, draining 14-of-25 for 56 percent. The home team took advantage of 20 Bluffton turnovers, scoring 28 points, including a 19-3 edge in fast-break points. Earlham finished with a 32-30 edge on the glass.
Bluffton will be back in the friendly confines of the Sommer Center on Saturday, Jan. 14, when the Beavers play host to Franklin College. Part two of a women's and men's double-dipper is slated to tip at approximately 4 p.m.
-BEAVERS-