HANOVER, Ind. - The Hanover College men's basketball team rallied from nine down on Saturday, Jan. 13, defeating Bluffton 83-78 despite 18 points from Michael Stammen (Versailles). The Beavers fell to 5-10 overall and 1-7 in the Heartland Conference, while the host Panthers improved to 10-5 and 6-2 in the HCAC.
Bluffton trailed 7-3 when Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky./Dixie Heights) ignited an 8-2 run that put Bluffton up 11-9 following a pair of Stammen freebies at the 14:58 mark of the first half. The Beavers were already up by three points with less than seven minutes to play in the opening stanza when Sihr Sumner (Delaware/Rutherford B. Hayes) dialed it in from outside the arc and Stammen followed with a deuce, giving the visitors a 29-21 advantage.
It was still an eight-point spread (34-26) at the under four-minute media timeout, but Hanover closed the first stanza with a 10-2 spurt, knotting it at 36 apiece heading to the break.
Snelling hit from way downtown to open the second half, giving the visitors a quick 39-36 lead 12 seconds in. The two teams traded punches throughout the final 20 minutes and when Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) cashed in from deep at the 11:05 mark, Bluffton trailed by a single point (55-54).
Ty Houston pushed the Hanover lead to 72-63 with less than five minutes to play, but the Beavers stormed back with five straight Stammen markers as Bluffton trailed just 73-70 at the 3:06 mark. A Myles Thomas (Chicago, Ill./Leo) layin had Bluffton within one, however, the Panthers closed it out with six straight points on the way to an 83-78 victory.
Stammen hit 7-of-8 from the field for a team-high 18 points. He added four rebounds and two assists. Snelling and Thomas chipped in with 12 points apiece, while Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Christian) added 11 markers. Rogers and Thomas were both 4-of-6 from the field. Snelling hit 5-of-9 and ripped down a team-high seven boards.
The Beavers were a superb 29-of-53 from the field for 54.7 percent. They drilled 7-of-16 triples (43.8 percent) and went 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) at the stripe. Hanover pulled down two more rebounds (33-31) and the Panthers forced Bluffton into a whopping 21 turnovers. Both teams scored 38 points in the paint.
The Bluffton men cap off their first lap through the HCAC with a trip to Earlham College on Wednesday, Jan. 17. Tip off in Richmond, Ind. is slated for 7:30 p.m. The Beavers will then play six of their final nine games in the Sommer Center!
-BEAVERS-