DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team used a 27-13 third quarter to keep Defiance College winless (0-14, 0-7 HCAC) with an 81-54 victory over the Yellow Jackets on Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024. Bluffton improved to 5-9 and 3-4 in the conference with its second straight victory.
Junior Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) dialed long distance and sophomore Katie Neuhart (Delaware/Delaware Christian) followed with a deuce, putting Bluffton up 5-0 just over two minutes into the game. Defiance knotted it up midway through the opening stanza, but the visitors cashed in with eight makes at the charity stripe, giving the Beavers a 13-8 lead heading into the second frame.
Defiance rolled off seven straight counters to start period two before two Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) freebies made it 15-15 at the 7:18 mark. Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) got to the rack and Fitzpatrick knocked down a jumper for a 19-15 lead. Following another Fenstermaker bucket, Prigge's triple pushed the spread to 24-15. A Lindsey Smith (Mount Victory/Kenton) layin and two Prigge foul shots helped the Beavers to a 35-27 lead at the break.
Bluffton pulled away in the third quarter thanks to a Kyla Columber (Marion/Pleasant) three ball and six straight Neuhart points which gave the visitors a 62-40 lead heading into the final quarter.
Back-to-back Neuhart jumpers finished off any hopes for a Defiance victory as Bluffton opened a 70-40 lead with just six minutes to play. Freshman Mira Horvath (Defiance) and Alexis Stevely (Marion/Wynford) got in on the action late in the fourth period, scoring nine of Bluffton's last 11 points en route to a dominating 81-54 victory Wednesday night!
Prigge hit 6-of-9 from the field, including 3-of-4 from distance, on the way to a game-high 19 points. Neuhart was equally impressive, going 7-for-12 from the field and 4-of-4 at the line. She finished with a career-high 18 points. Prigge added four rebounds and three assists. Fitzpatrick just missed out on a double double with 11 points and eight boards. Fenstermaker chipped in with six markers and five rebounds.
Bluffton shot it well from the field, going 26-of-53 for 49.1 percent. The Beavers were outstanding from deep, drilling 6-of-12 (50 percent), and at the line. Bluffton was 23-of-26 (88.5 percent) on freebies. The visitors smashed Defiance on the glass, pulling down 38 boards to just 20 rebounds by the Yellow Jackets. DC also turned it over four more times (19-15).
The Bluffton women are boack on the road Saturday afternoon when they travel to Hanover College. Tip-off with the Panthers is slated for 4 p.m. following the Bluffton men's tussle with the Panthers.
-BEAVERS-