By: Evan Miller, sports information assistant
January 30, 2008
DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball lost on the road, 90-71, against the Heartland Conference leading Defiance College Yellow Jackets on Wednesday, January 30, 2008. Following its third straight HCAC setback, Bluffton now stands at 11-8 overall and 5-5 in the conference. Defiance improved to 14-5 overall and 9-1 in the HCAC.
The Beavers scored on their first possession for an early 2-0 lead following a JOSH EICHAR(North Baltimore/North Baltimore) layup. The lead was short lived, however, as Defiance went on a 12-0 run, capped by a MIKE FLOYD jumper which made the score 12-2 less than four minutes into the game. For the rest of the half, the Jackets continued to distance themselves from the Beavers.
A good three-pointer by senior NATE OVERMYER (Payne/Wayne Trace) made the score 20-7 with 14:01 left in the first half. ANTHONY PETTAWAY answered with a layup courtesy of a Bluffton turnover, putting Defiance up 35-11 with 9:26 left. Pettaway scored a career-high 28 points for the home team.
Nate Overmyer drilled another triple, chipping away at the Defiance lead, 35-18. Overmyer's long-distance trifecta with 3:01 left in the first half made the score 42-25 in favor of the Jackets. AARON TAYLOR (Antwerp/Antwerp) scored Bluffton's last hoop of the half on a layup with just over a minute left. Defiance took a 47-30 lead into the break.
The second half greatly resembled the first for Bluffton. The Beavers' slow start proved too much to overcome. A fourth Nate Overmyer three-ball at the 15:21 mark cut the deficit to 14 points, 58-44, but the Yellow Jackets would not let the Beavers creep back into the game.
Defiance had an answer on its ensuing possession when NICK SALES completed an old-fashioned three-point play after being fouled on a layup, putting Defiance up 61-44. A Mike Floyd trifecta put Defiance up, 68-44, with 12:22 left in the game. Sophomore JORDAN POTHAST (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) trimmed the deficit back down to 68-48 with his jumper at the 11:44 mark.
Aaron Taylor got the hoop and harm to make the score 68-51 with just over ten minutes left. Defiance continued to thwart all of Bluffton's comeback attempts as the Yellow Jackets never allowed the Beavers back into the game.
A COLT CUNNINGHAM (Powell/Worthington Christian) three-pointer got Bluffton as close as they would get, 72-58, with just under seven minutes to play. Freshman ROB LUDERMAN(Defiance/Ayersville) got to the rack for a bucket which made the score 88-71. Defiance added a NATE CONLEY score with 28 ticks remaining for the 90-71 victory.
Aaron Taylor led the Beavers with 21 points which equaled his personal best. He hit 7-of-9 from the field, including 2-for-2 ourtside the arc. Nate Overmyer dropped in 20 points, shooting 4-8 from three-point land. Josh Eichar pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, just missing a double-double by one point. He also dished out a career-high six assists.
Bluffton finished 25-of-48 from the field for 52.1 percent, but Defiance knocked down 38-of-65 for a whopping 58.5 shooting percentage. The Beavers coughed it up 18 times, compared to only 10 miscues by the home team.
Anthony Pettaway paced the Yellow Jackets with a career-high 28 points. He also ripped down 10 rebounds for the double-double. Mike Floyd and C.J. Johnson chipped in with 16 and 14 points, respectively.
The Bluffton University men's basketball team will return to action on Saturday, February 2, 2008, when the Beavers travel Anderson University. Tip time is slated for 3 p.m.
-BEAVERS-