BLUFFTON, Ohio - The #2 nationally-ranked Transylvania Pioneers scored early and often in a 75-29 victory over Bluffton University on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Transy stayed perfect at 8-0 and 4-0 in the conference, while Bluffton slipped to 2-6 and 1-3 in the HCAC.
The visitors scored 12 straight, forcing a Bluffton timeout just over three minutes into the game. Senior Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) broke the ice when she cashed in from outside the arc and her jumper at the 3:50 mark made it 17-5 Transy. Junior Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) hit from the paint, but the Pioneers opened a 22-8 lead after period one.
Five points from Katie Neuhart (Delaware/Delaware Christian) led the Beavers in the second 10 minutes, however, another 20 points for Transy made it 42-15 at the break. Transylvania led by as many as 42 in the third quarter and its 75-29 victory marked the largest lead of the game for the visitors.
Prigge scored a game-high seven for the Beavers. Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) and Olivia Zender (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) pulled down six boards apiece. Zender handed out a team-best three assists.
Bluffton hit just 11-of-50 from the field (22.0 percent), including 2-for-10 (20 percent) from distance. Transy pulled down four more rebounds (41-37) and the home team turned it over 11 more times (20-9).
The Beavers will jump back into action on Wednesday, Dec. 20, when they travel to Adrian College for another matchup with the Bulldogs. Tip-off is slated for 6 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
