BLUFFTON, Ohio - A 10-0 Kalamazoo run out of the game proved to be the difference as the Hornets held Bluffton off, 83-71, on Friday, Nov. 17, 2023. Bluffton fell to 1-2 in Head Coach Seth Clark's home debut, while Kalamazoo improved to 3-1 on the season.
A Josh Crall (Bucyrus/Wynford) triple with 15:14 to play in the first half broke the ice, but Kalamazoo went back to work and pushed its lead to 21-7 at the 11:23 mark. Graduate transfer Myles Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Leo) sandwiched a pair of jumpers around an Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky./Dixie Heights) three ball, pulling the home team within 10 (24-14) with just over nine minutes on the clock.
Crall and Thomas knocked down consecutive buckets and just like that it was a five-point (28-23) game with 3:17 to play in the opening stanza. A benches clearing double technical turned the game on its head as four Beavers were forced to exit with 23 minutes to play. Kalamazoo pushed the spread to 11 before a pair of Trey Clemons (Mainville/Little Miami) freebies made it 34-25 at the half.
Following a Crall drive, sophomore William Layfield (West Chester/Lakota West) dialed long distance, making the score 39-32, but an 11-2 Hornet splurge pushed their edge to 16 (50-34) with just under 14 minutes to play.
Four Clemons free throws and an old-fashioned three-point play by Thomas kept the good guys within striking distance, however, Bluffton could not get any closer than seven points in the second half as Kalamazoo always had an answer.
Clemons bucketed a career-high 15 points on 4-of-6 shooting and his seven boards were also a career best. Thomas and Rogers dropped in 13 apiece, while Crall added a career-high 11 markers. Crall and Caden Slusher (Rockford/Parkway) both handed out three assists while Rogers blocked two shots. Connor Martin (Holland/Springfield) ripped down a game-high nine boards, while Snelling added a career-high eight rebounds.
Bluffton hit 24-of-64 (37.5 percent) from the field, including 5-for-22 (22.7 percent) outside the arc, but Kalamazoo did its damage with 10 makes from distance. The Beavers were outstanding at the line, connecting on 18-of-22 for 81.8 percent.
A 2 p.m. home matchup with Hiram College on Sunday, Nov. 26 is the next battle on Bluffton's docket.
-BEAVERS-
