January 11, 2017
By: Jared Sleutz, sports information assistant

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Beavers fell just short in a nail-biting 67-65 loss to the visiting Manchester University Spartans on Wednesday, Jan. 11. Bluffton dipped to 1-5 in the HCAC (8-5 overall) while the Spartans improved to 3-4 (4-9 overall).

The Beavers trailed by 14 (53-39) following a CHASE CASTEEL triple with 10:05 to play but the home team responded with a 26-10 jag which put Bluffton up 65-63 when TREY ELCHERT (Jackson Center) collected an AUSTIN ROHDE (Shelby) outlet pass for a wide-open layup with 15 ticks remaining. A four-point play by KEVIN CHRISTIE (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) and 11 straight counters from Rohde turned the tide as the Beavers battled back. Manchester was unfazed and they punched it inside to Tyler Alexander who converted a hoop-and-harm to give the Spartans a 67-65 victory.

Bluffton was led by Austin Rohde with 24 points, six rebounds and a 3-of-4 night beyond the arc. Rohde's first triple less than three minutes into the game put him over 1,000 points in his collegiate career! Kevin Christie also went 3-of-4 from distance with a career-high 11 points and four assists. JARED WENTLING (Carey) added nine points and grabbed six rebounds for the Beavers. Rounding out the scoring was MARTIN MAKSVYTIS (Dayton/Franklin-Monroe) with seven markers and Trey Elchert with six points.

Bluffton hit 22-of-44 from the field for 50 percent, compared to 25-for-52 (48.1 percent) for the Spartans. The Beavers won the rebounding battle (27-23) but the home team turned it over two more times (14-12). Bluffton was a sparkling 6-of-9 from deep for 66.7 percent, while the Spartans went 6-of-14 (42.9 percent).

Bluffton hits the road on Saturday, Jan. 14, traveling to Hanover College for another HCAC matchup with tip-off set for 2 p.m. The Beavers will take on rival Defiance College at 8 p.m. next Wednesday, Jan. 18 on the banks of the Riley Creek in the Sommer Center.

-BEAVERS-