By: Nathan Zuercher, sports information assistant
LEXINGTON, Ky. - The Beavers suffered their first loss of the season on the road at Transylvania University on a rainy Saturday, Dec. 12. The Beavers lost 83-61, shooting a mere 29.9 percent from the field, compared to Transylvania's red-hot 52.9 percent from the field.
The Bluffton shooting woes started in the first period and did not stop as the Beavers hit just 3-of-15 in the opening quarter while Transylvania was drilling 9-of-12 attempts. Junior Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) netted Bluffton's first points with a triple at the 8:12 mark. The visitors then watched helplessly as the Pioneers went on a 14-0 scoring run before senior Kylie Brock (Villa Hills, Ky./Dixie Heights) knocked down a jumper at the 2:59 mark to halt the spurt. The Beavers trailed 26-10 at the end of the first.
Scoring picked up in the second with Gillig netting a pair of free throws at the 9:16 mark. Senior Nora Hemminger (McComb) got involved in the action with a steal resulting in a coast-to-coast layup at the other end. Brock then drained a 3-pointer at the 3:12 mark to pull Bluffton within single digits. Transylvania pulled away again, opening up a 45-30 lead at the break.
The third quarter brought much of the same for the visitors who continued struggling to connect from anywhere. Sophomore sharpshooter Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) tossed in her second trifecta of the day at the 7:32 mark. Freshman Sydney Cavanaugh (Mansfield/St Peter's) scored her second bucket as well at the 3:11 mark, giving her four counters. However, Bluffton was unable to make any inroads during the final 10 minutes as Transylvania moved to 2-2 with the convincing 83-61 victory.
The Beavers shot just 29.9 percent (20-of-67) from the field, including 22.7 percent (5-for-22) from the three-point line, while the Pioneers were a ridiculous 10-of-20 (50 percent) from distance. The Pioneers pulled down one more rebound (37-36) than the visitors despite a 19-7 Bluffton advantage on the offensive glass. Transylvania turned it over three more times (21-18) and finished with a 34-26 edge in the paint.
The lone double-digit scorer for the Beavers was Gillig with 18 markers. Hemminger added eight rebounds and three assists. Junior Emma Saltzman (Arcadia) had three takeaways to lead the Beavers.
Bluffton stands 6-1 heading into the holidays as the Beavers will take a two-week hiatus for Christmas. Check the Bluffton Athletics website over the coming weeks for an updated Heartland Conference slate.
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