GRANVILLE, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball team fell behind 48-27 at the half on the way to a 90-63 loss at Denison University on Saturday, Dec. 16, 2023. Bluffton dipped to 2-6 on the season, while the Big Red improved to 7-4 overall.

A Matt Ray (Indianapolis, Ind./Herron) triple put the visitors up 3-0 less than a minute into the game. Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky./Dixie Heights) hit from distance and Michael Stammen (Versailles) followed with a deuce, making it 10-9 Bluffton at the 13:46 mark. Sihr Sumner (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) snapped a 7-0 Denison spurt with his layup midway through the opening stanza, but the Big Red opened a 25-14 lead with 8:42 to play in the half.

Stammen drilled a couple freebies, pulling the Beavers within 12 at the 5:37 mark, however, Denison closed the period with a 19-10 run which gave the home team a commanding 48-27 margin at the break.

The Big Red opened the second half like it closed the first one, scoring nine straight while opening a 57-27 cushion at the under 16 media timeout. Four straight points from Myles Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Leo) trimmed the deficit to 61-38 with 12:25 to play. Josh Crusey (Piqua) knocked down a pair of charity tosses and then stepped outside the arc for a late triple, but Denison was too much on Saturday, capping off its 90-63 victory over the Beavers.

Stammen was outstanding off the bench, scoring 22 points in 23 minutes. He hit 6-of-11 from the field, 2-of-4 from distance and was a perfect 8-for-8 at the line! Snelling bucketed eight and Thomas followed with seven counters. Trey Clemons (Mainville, Ohio/Little Miami) ripped down a career-high nine boards.

Bluffton hit just 17-of-50 from the field (34 percent), including 7-of-21 (33.3 percent) outside the arc. The Beavers were 22-of-27 (81.5 percent) at the line. Denison dominated the glass with a 48-28 edge on the glass. Bluffton also turned it over six more times (17-11).

The Bluffton men jump right back into action on Monday, Dec. 18, when the Beavers host Transylvania at 2 p.m. in the Sommer Center.

-BEAVERS-