By: Jack Reed, sports information assistant
NORTH MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Bluffton University women's basketball team overcame a slow start to down Manchester 66-62 at Stauffer-Wolfe Arena on Saturday, Nov. 21, 2020. Bluffton has played Manchester four times in the past 10 days, posting a perfect 4-0 mark against the Spartans who fell to 0-5 on the season.
The Beavers needed time to shake the bus lag off as they fell behind 9-0 out of the gate. Bluffton's first basket did not come until over four and half minutes into the game which was a Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty Benton) three from beyond the arc. Freshman Taylor Malson (Castalia/Margaretta) then drove to the basket and got on the board with 2:30 to play in the first quarter. After a slow first quarter, Bluffton was down 18-8 heading into period two.
The Beavers looked like a different team after the first 10 minutes. Shardo would score on the first two possessions as she cashed in a pair of triples, her third for the game! With 7:40 left to play in the half, a nice post move by Emma Saltzman (Arcadia) cut the deficit to four as they began to gather momentum. At the five-minute mark another three-pointer by Shardo pulled the Beavers within one point. With three minutes left in the half, freshman Angel Schneider (Columbus Grove) scored for the Beavers, giving them a 29-28 lead. In the final minute, sophomore Ella Zaborowski (Toledo/Christian) hit a corner three to give Bluffton a 36-31 lead heading into the break.
Coming out of half, Shardo kept her hot shooting going with another three on the second possession. The Beavers then went on a scoring drought, but it was matched by tough defense on the other end. A nice drive and tough finish by Sydney Cavanaugh (Mansfield/St. Peters) extended the Beavers lead to eight with just under four minutes to go in the quarter. Heading into the final stanza, the score stood 49-42 with the Beavers prevailing.
To begin the fourth quarter, senior Nora Hemminger (McComb) scored a quick layup to widen the gap. Two free throws by freshman Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) gave the visitors an 11 point lead with just under four minutes to play. A flurry of Beavers cashed in on free throws down the stretch which catapulted them to their win. A quick Manchester scoring spurt with time winding down made the final score 66-62 with the Beavers coming out victorious.
Shardo found her stoke, going 5-of-7 from distance for a team-high 18 points, and she dished out four assists. Saltzman was also in double figures with a career-high 14 counters to go along with six rebounds. Fitzpatrick stuffed the stat sheet with eight points, five rebounds, four steals and three assists. Malson picked up four steals for the victors.
The Beavers struggled from the field, hitting just 19-of-58 for 32.8 percent, compared to 24-of-62 (38.7 percent) for the Spartans. Bluffton hit six triples, including five from Shardo, but the visitors did much of their damage at the free throw line where they went 22-of-31 for 71 percent. Manchester pulled down five more rebounds (45-40), but the Spartans also turned it over six more times (20-14). Bluffton finished with a 21-0 edge in bench points.
Bluffton is off for Thanksgiving before welcoming Adrian College on Monday, Dec. 7, for the first of two non-conference games in three days against the Bulldogs. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m. on both December 7 and December 9.
-BEAVERS-