BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team struggled to put the biscuit in the basket as Hanover walloped the Beavers 74-50 on Saturday, Dec. 3, 2022. Bluffton suffered its first lost, falling to 4-1 and 1-1 in the conference. Hanover upped its mark to 5-2 with a perfect 2-0 HCAC record.
A Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) trifecta put Bluffton up 5-2 just over a minute into the game and when she dialed long distance at the 3:39 mark, Bluffton trailed just 11-8. However, the offense went cold and did not score again until the second quarter.
Shardo's third three of the game made it 19-11 in favor of Hanover with 9:13 to play in quarter two. Bluffton continued to struggle at both ends of the floor as the Panthers opened a commanding 41-19 lead at the break.
Triples by Peyton Henry (Leipsic) and Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) helped the home team pull within 16 (47-31) before Hanover capped the quarter with an 18-11 splurge that made the score 65-42 heading to the final stanza.
Bluffton went down without a whimper, scoring just nine points over the final 10 minutes as Hanover capped off its 74-50 victory.
Shardo was the bright spot for Bluffton's offense, hitting 6-of-12 overall and 4-of-9 from distance for a team-high 16 points. Prigge chipped in with 11 markers and Henry added eight points. Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) equaled her career high with six boards. Henry and Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) both doled out three assists, while Shardo blocked two shots.
Hanover hit 28-of-67 from the field (41.8 percent), while limiting Bluffton to just 19-of-59 (32.2 percent) from the field. The Panthers finished 14-of-20 (70 percent) at the stripe, compared to just 4-of-7 for the home team. Hanover pulled down a dozen more rebounds (46-34) and forced the Beavers into eight more turnovers (19-11).
Bluffton hits the road for a Tuesday night matchup at Oberlin College. TIpoff is slated for 7 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
