BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team capped off an exciting Saturday in the Sommer Center with a 63-58 over visiting Anderson University on February 10. Bluffton improved to 8-15 overall and 6-10 in the Heartland Conference, while Anderson fell to 11-12 and 7-9 in the HCAC.
Sophomore Katie Neuhart (Delaware/Delaware Christian) knocked down a jumper just outside the key and Olivia Zender (Fostoria/Hopewell-Louden) followed with the first of her four triples as Bluffton went up 5-2 just over a minute in. A hoop and harm for senior Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) made it 10-6 at the 6:19 mark. Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) hit from deep following a Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) chip shot and Lindsey Smith (Mount Victory/Kenton) ripped down five rebounds in the first stanza as the home team led 22-16 after one quarter.
Prigge's jumper pushed the spread to eight, but a 12-3 Anderson spurt made it 28-27 Ravens before the media timeout. Zender answered the run with a trifecta, putting Bluffton back on top 30-28. Her second three ball in less than a minute made it a 33-28 advantage. Four points from Smith sandwiched around a Fenstermaker bucket gave the Beavers a 39-33 lead at the break.
An 11-3 jag for the good guys had Bluffton up 50-36 with 4:07 to play in the third quarter. Zender did the damage with five points, but Anderson countered with eight straight markers as the visitors trailed just 50-44 heading to the fourth quarter.
The Beavers struggled out of the gate in period four as Anderson went up 55-54 with a three-point play from Sarah Sewak at the 3:29 mark. Three Zender freebies and a Prigge bomb made it 60-58 Bluffton and Fenstermaker pushed it to four with a pair of makes at the stripe (62-58). Anderson went scoreless over the final 2:35 and Prigge capped the victory with another foul shot for the 63-58 final tally.
Zender led the way with 19 points thanks to a career-high tying four triples. She just missed a double double with nine boards. Prigge hit three from outside the arc for 14 points. She stuffed the stat sheet with six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Fenstermaker was chairman of the boards with 12 rebounds! Neuhart and Smith went for eight and seven points, respectively. Smith finished with nine caroms.
Bluffton hit 19-of-63 (30.2 percent) from the field, but it was better from three-point land. The Beavers were 7-for-20 (35 percent) outside the arc. The home team pulled down 11 more rebounds (52-41), but it also turned it over two more times (16-14).
The Bluffton women play their final road game of the regular season on Tuesday, Feb. 13, when they travel down Interstate 75 to Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m.
-BEAVERS-
