DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team went the distance and then some before falling to Defiance College, 85-82, in double overtime on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023. The regular season came to a close with Bluffton sporting a 15-9 overall record and a 10-8 mark in the Heartland Conference. Defiance wrapped up its season at 9-16 and 6-12 in the conference.
Bluffton jumped out to a 7-2 lead a little over three minutes into the game when sophomore Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) hit from distance. The advantage ballooned to 17-7 following back-to-back triples by Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) and Kyla Columber (Marion/Pleasant).
Nine seconds into period two, Shardo made it 20-9 when she drained her second trifecta of the night. Fellow senior Peyton Henry (Leipsic) found the bottom of the net with her three-ball and Morgan Smith (Arlington) knocked down a jumper, making it 25-14 early in the second stanza. The visitors managed just three free throws over the final seven minutes of the half as Defiance pulled within six points (28-22) at the break.
Smith and Olivia Zender (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) sandwiched two-point buckets around a Prigge trey, putting the Beavers up 35-26, but seven straight DC counters made it a two-point game at the 5:27 mark. Junior Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) snapped the scoreless streak with a deep ball, but consecutive Defiance hoops made the score 39-37. Henry drilled a triple and Shardo collected her own miss and got the putback before the buzzer went off, giving Bluffton a six-point lead (50-44) with one quarter to play.
Henry opened the fourth quarter with her third trifecta of the night, she finished 3-of-3, pushing the spread to nine (53-44). Columber's three gave the Beavers a 56-46 advantage at the 7:41 mark. Defiance stormed back with eight straight markers before a Smith freebie and Prigge deuce made it 59-54. A pair of Zender free throws with less than a minute to play had the Beavers on the verge of a season sweep, however, the final five points of regulation all came on the Defiance end as the game went to OT knotted at 61.
A Shardo three-pointer early in overtime gave the visitors a 65-61 lead but following a second Shardo triple in the first overtime, two free throws by Cait Good with less than a second on the clock forced a second five minutes of extra time.
Four points from Prigge made it 74-72 Bluffton, but consecutive Defiance makes from outside the arc set the stage for a Yellow Jacket victory. Fitzpatrick and Shardo answered the call with triples of their own, evening the game up at 80-80. Unfortunately, Defiance scored five of the final seven points to cap off an 85-82 victory over the Beavers as the Yellow Jacket season reached its conclusion.
Shardo hit 5-of-8 from long range for a career-high 23 points. Prigge followed with 14 points, while Henry and Smith both bucketed 11 counters. Henry was 4-of-5 from the field, including a perfect 3-for-3 outside the arc. Fitzpatrick ripped down a team-high eight boards. Smith doled out a career-high five assists and she pulled down seven rebounds. She and Prigge both blocked two Defiance shots.
Although the Beavers were outstanding from distance, hitting 14-of-31 (45.2 percent), they struggled to a 27-of-75 (36 percent) night on all field goals. Defiance dominated on the glass, finishing with 16 more rebounds (58-42) which led to 21 second chance points.
Bluffton now turns its attention to the Heartland Conference tournament which kicks off Tuesday, Feb. 21. The Beavers will travel to #4 seed Anderson University for a 7:30 tip-off in the quarterfinals with a chance to take on #2 nationally-ranked Transylvania on Friday night!
-BEAVERS-