January 26, 2017
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men have a busy slate of three games in five days starting on Saturday when the Beavers welcome Rose-Hulman to Allen County. A makeup contest with Franklin tips at 7 p.m. Monday in the Sommer Center before the Beavers head to North Manchester, Ind. for a 7:30 clash with the Manchester University Spartans on Wednesday, Feb. 1.
Rival Defiance College provided the perfect elixir for a Bluffton University squad that limped into the contest on a four-game losing skid last Wednesday night. The Beavers held on for a 58-55 victory and then made it two in a row when senior TREY ELCHERT (Jackson Center) beat the buzzer with six tenths of a second left for an 86-84 win at Franklin three days later!
Rose-Hulman holds a 13-8 edge in the all-time series with Bluffton, including eight victories in the last nine meetings. The Beavers only win during that span was a 62-59 victory at Hulbert Arena two years ago. The Engineers lost their first three Heartland Conference games coming out of the holidays, but RHIT has won three of its last four, including a 73-68 stunner at HCAC-leading Hanover on Wednesday, for a 6-5 mark in the HCAC.
Treacherous road conditions on Saturday, Dec. 17, moved the Franklin game to Monday, Jan. 30, at 7 p.m. It will have been just nine days since the two teams last met when Elchert nailed the winner. The Grizzlies are 27-15 all-time against Bluffton, but the Beavers have ruled the series recently with five consecutive wins. Franklin has struggled to a 2-8 mark in the Heartland Conference heading into Saturday's game at Earlham.
Manchester holds a 57-39 advantage in the long-standing series with Bluffton that dates back to 1920. The teams have alternated wins in the past eight meetings with the Spartans scoring late for a 67-65 victory in the Sommer Center on January 11. With a 4-7 mark in the conference, Manchester and Bluffton are battling it out for the final slot in the six-team HCAC tournament as the regular season starts to get interesting.
Senior AUSTIN ROHDE (Shelby) is currently 21st on the all-time scoring list with 1,091 markers. He is 3rd in the HCAC with 19.1 PPG on 117-of-241 shooting from the field (48.5 percent). Rohde is also 6th in the conference in free throw percentage at 85.5 percent.
Sophomore JARED WENTLING (Carey) is dumping in 14.7 PPG to go along with his team-high 7.2 RPG (2nd in the HCAC). Second in the Heartland with 4.6 assists per game is senior captain TREY ELCHERT (Jackson Center) who has hit 22-of-26 (84.6 percent) from the line and is scoring 7.1 PPG. Senior ADAM HOPKINS (Wellington/Keystone) and sophomore JUSTIS DOWDY (Van Wert/Lincolnview) have given the Beavers solid minutes off the bench in the post, combining for 66-of-101 from the field (65.3 FG percentage). Also stepping up his game in the last month is junior KEVIN CHRISTIE (Miamisburg/Bishop Fenwick) who has netted at least eight counters in each of the last nine contests.
Bluffton is third in the Heartland Conference in scoring defense at 72.6 PPG and the Beavers 10.1 turnovers per game is 2nd in the HCAC. Their 14.9 assists per game tops the conference. Bluffton is currently 5th in the HCAC from the free throw line, knocking down 219-of-301 for 72.8 percent on charity tosses.
-BEAVERS-