February 10, 2010
By: Josh Bruner, sports information assistant
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's team hosted the Spartans of Manchester on Wednesday, February 10. The teams each struggled in the early going, but finally put together some offense at the end of the first half as the Beavers trailed 32-30 at the break. Bluffton struggled from the field in the second half, shooting just 33 percent, and scoring only 21 points to give the Spartans a 60-51 win. The win bumped Manchester to 8-5 in the HCAC and 14-8 overall. The Beavers dropped to 2-12 in the HCAC and 2-21 overall.
The Beavers did not manage any points until the 16:22 mark when JOSH FISHER(Rockford/Parkway) collected a Spartan miss and went coast-to-coast for a layup. The Beavers added another two from NICK LEE (Mt. Blanchard/Vanlue) to tie the game at four after six minutes of play.
Midway through the half the Spartans took a five-point lead (13-8) thanks to a MITCH SCHAEFER three-pointer. The Beavers slowly worked their way back into the game as they took their first lead of the night following a BRENT FARLEY (Lima/Shawnee) dunk at the 7:30 mark.
Bluffton took control, as a 9-2 run gave the Beavers a six-point lead after a MYCHAL HILL(London/Jon. Alder) layup at the 2:37 mark. The Spartans responded with an 8-0 spurt of their own for a 32-30 lead at halftime.
The Spartans jumped out to a six-point lead just 30 seconds into period two. The Beavers retaliated with consecutive triples from Fisher and Lee to tie the game at 36. Manchester answered back with another Schaefer three-pointer for a three-point lead with 18 minutes left in the game.
The Beavers finally ended a four-minute dry spell with a Farley free throw to pull Bluffton within two. The Spartans then found their offensive rhythm, opening their largest lead of the night (45-37) at the 11:20 mark.
The Beavers once again worked their way back into the game, as they pulled within two courtesy of a Fisher layup. The Spartans finally took over for good with nine consecutive points which made the score 54-43 at the 6:15 mark.
Bluffton cut it to seven with 1:20 left following another Fisher layup. However, the Spartans hung on for the 60-51 victory over Bluffton.
Leading the scoring for the Beavers was Fisher who went 8-of-15 from the field and 2-for-2 from the line to finish with a game-high 19 points. Hill was next for Bluffton with 11 points, followed by Farley who added nine points, seven boards, four blocks, four steals and four assists. Lee added eight markers for Bluffton, and JORDAN POTHAST (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) finished with four.
The Spartans put three scorers in double digits, led by TYLER HENN with 13, and MATT MORRIS and JASON SPINDLER with 12 apiece. The Spartans outshot the Beavers 26-of-51 (51.0 percent) from the field, compared to 21-of-55 (38.2 percent) for the home team. The Spartans hit 4-of-9 (44.4 percent) from behind the arc, and the Beavers were just 3-of-17 (17.6 percent). Manchester made all four of its attempts from the line, while the Beavers managed only 6-of-13 (46.2 percent) at the charity stripe.
Bluffton will take the court again on Saturday, February 13, when the Beavers host Rose-Hulman for Senior Day. The final men's home contest of the season is slated for 3 p.m. following the women's game.
-BEAVERS-