TIFFIN, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball team was anxious to get the taste of Friday nights loss to Heidelberg out of its mouth and less than 24 hours later the Beavers did just that as they handed Head Coach Seth Clark his first victory at the helm!
Bluffton trailed 19-13 when triples by Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) and Michael Stammen (Versailles) got the offense untracked with 8:45 to play in the first half. Myles Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Leo) sandwiched a pair of layins around a Robson bucket and Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Christian) followed with a chip shot, giving the Beavers a 27-23 lead.
The ball bounced back and forth late in the opening stanza before free throws by Connor Martin (Holland/Springfield) and Stammen left the game knotted 37-37 at the break.
An old-fashioned three-point play by freshman Sihr Sumner (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) gave the visitors on the scoreboard a 47-43 lead at the 16:07 mark of the second half. Six straight counters from Martin had Bluffton up 57-51 with 11:04 to play. His dunk four minutes later kept the Beavers up by six (64-58).
Coach Clark's crew drained 15-of-16 at the line down the stretch to keep Adrian at bay as the Beavers finished off their 83-75 victory!
Stammen led five from Bluffton in double figures, hitting all eight of his free throws on the way to 15 points. Rogers was next with 14 points, while Robson and Thomas added 13 apiece. Martin went 5-of-7 from the field for a dozen markers.
Rogers led the good guys with a career-high 11 boards and his first double-double. Thomas and Robson pulled down nine and seven caroms, respectively. Stammen dished out a team-best four assists.
Bluffton hit 23-of-55 from the field (41.8 percent) and the Beavers made hay at the line, drilling 33-for-38 (86.8 percent). Adrian was outclassed on the glass (48-35), but the Beavers turned it over eight more times (14-6).
The Bluffton men will kick off their home slate with a 7 p.m. tip-off against Kalamazoo College on Friday, Nov. 17. Come out and cheer on your Beavers at Coach Clark's Sommer Center debut!
-BEAVERS-