November 23, 2011
By: Keisha Holtsberry, sports information assistant

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton University men's basketball team defeated Ohio Mid-Western 74-61 in the 2011-12 home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 23. The Beavers stayed perfect, upping their season mark to 3-0.

Bluffton jumped out to a 13-2 lead over the visitors less than six minutes in before the Rams used a 5-0 run to make the score 13-7 at the 14:20 mark. Nick Lee (Mt. Blanchard. Vanlue) and DUSTIN KINN (Alvada/New Reigel) combined for all but three of Bluffton's initial surge.

Sophomore Will Pope (Somerville/Preble Shawnee) put in a layup to add two more points at the 13:44 mark. The Rams responded and knotted the game with just over 11 minutes left in the half.

The Rams pulled ahead two minutes later and held the lead until the 7:32 mark when senior Nick Lee drilled a three to tie the game at 20.

Ohio Mid-Western once again went ahead, but junior Tyler Neal (Bluffton) answered with a pull-up jumper in the paint to tie the game. The Beavers then went on a 13-0 run, opening up a 35-22 margin with 1:15 left in the first half. The Rams countered with two buckets to make the score 35-26 at the break.

The Rams came out ready to play in the second half and they trimmed the Beavers' advantage down to four points during the first minute. The Beavers responded with an 8-2 run, capped with a layup by sophomore Dustin Kinn at the 16:22 mark.

The Beavers took control following the spurt as the home team never let its lead fall below six. Bluffton ended its scoring for the night with a foul shot from sophomore Blade Tackett (Crestline/Colonel Crawford) as the home team improved to 3-0 with the 74-61 victory.

The home team hit 22-of-50 (44.0 percent), while the Rams made just 23-of-73 (31.5 percent). Bluffton finished 5-for-11 ( 45.5 percent) from behind the arc, while the Rams went 6-of-23 (26.1 percent). Bluffton pulled down 10 more rebounds than Ohio Mid-Western (46-36). The visitors had 16 turnovers, while the Beavers coughed it up 23 times.

The Beavers were led by Lee with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field. Kinn and Mychal Hill (London/Jon. Alder) added 17 and 16 points, respectively. Brent Farley (Lima/Shawnee) ripped down a game-high 10 boards and Nate Heckelman (Norwalk) collected seven caroms.

The Bluffton University men's basketball team will host non-conference foe Hiram College on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2011, at 3 p.m. in Founders Hall.

-BEAVERS-