By: Ethan Stearns, sports information assistant
The Bluffton University women's basketball team fought to a hard-earned double-overtime victory against Earlham College, 71-65, on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023. The Beavers upped their overall record to 13-8 and 8-7 in the Heartland Conference. Earlham dropped to 4-18 and 3-12 in the HCAC.
After scoring only one point off a freebie from Morgan Smith (Arlington) in the first quarter, the game was looking grim for the Beavers. The visitors had a lot of work to do as they trailed 18-1 going into the second stanza.
Bluffton was more efficient in the second quarter. Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) contributed a pair of freebies followed by a triple strike from Kyla Columber (Marion/Pleasant). Katie Neuhart (Delaware/Delaware Christian) rattled off seven points in a row to end the half. The visiting team trimmed the deficit to eight points going into the break, 25-17.
The Beavers finally got untracked in the second half as Bluffton only allowed eight points in the third quarter, knotting the game up before heading into the final period of regulation. Smith made a layup and Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) hit from the charity stripe. Smith, Prigge, and Columber also converted two makes apiece from the free throw line. Tamron Brinkman (Dayton/East Dayton Christian) provided valuable minutes as she nailed a jump shot and a last-minute layup to tie the score (33-33) at the end of three.
The fourth quarter was an all-out defensive battle, with both teams scoring only 12 points as they headed to overtime knotted at 45. After a quick bucket from the Quakers, Neuhart responded immediately with a score of her own. Columber converted another dart from distance. Neuhart came through in a huge way at the end of the game, grabbing an offensive rebound and drawing a foul at the buzzer with her squad trailing by one. She was able to drill one free throw, sending the game to overtime.
The first extra session was a back-and-forth five minutes, with six lead changes. Olivia Zender (Fostoria/Hopewell-Loudon) calmly knocked down two from the line at the 4:56 mark. Bluffton jumped to a 54-52 lead after a deep triple by Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead). Earlham responded with two free throws at the end of overtime number one to tie the game up, 56-56, and send it to a second overtime.
Smith turned it up a notch, scoring seven tallies in the final frame. Prigge hit a jumper at the 1:18 mark. Zender and Fitzpatrick were able to put the finishing touch on an amazing comeback victory, converting four straight freebies en route to a 71-65 dub for the women!
Continuing her amazing senior season, Smith scored 23 points and dominated the glass with 13 rebounds for her 14th double-double. Neuhart also played lights out with a career-best 16 tallies and seven boards! Fitzpatrick ripped down 11 rebounds and Zender finished with a career-high 10 caroms!
Bluffton won the battle on the glass, grabbing 51 rebounds, compared to 47 for Earlham. The Beavers took advantage at the free-throw line, drilling a ridiculous 30-of-34 (88.2 percent), compared to Earlham's 14-for-20 (70 percent).
The Beavers are back on the road for their next competition at Franklin on Saturday, Feb. 11. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m. as Bluffton looks to stay in the win column and hone in on a berth for the upcoming HCAC Tournament!
-BEAVERS-