December 2, 2017
By: Colton Steiner, sports information assistant

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball squad hit the home court on Saturday, Dec. 2, to face undefeated Transylvania University. The size and athleticism of the Pioneers was too much for the Beavers as they handed Bluffton a 74-59 loss which dropped the hosts 1-4 (0-1 HCAC) for the year. Transy upped its mark to 4-0 and 1-0 in the conference.

Three early turnovers by the Beavers led to a 9-0 start by Transylvania until a layup from JUSTIS DOWDY (Van Wert/Lincolnview) put Bluffton on the board. Trailing 14-2 less than five minutes in, Bluffton would go on an 11-2 spurt to make it a one possession (16-13) ballgame. However, the Pioneers rattled off 15 unanswered points, effectively sealing the outcome with a 31-13 lead. A tip-in by JARED WENTLING (Carey) broke the run by Transylvania. The teams would trade baskets for the rest of the half as Bluffton trailed 44-24 at the break.

A triple by DEZMAN BROWN (Elyria) cut the deficit to 19 to start the second half. Following a 7-0 run by the visitors, the home team answered with a layup by Kevin Christie and an ISAIAH TAYLOR (Yellow Springs) trifecta to make it 61-39 with 11:08 left in regulation. The Beavers pulled within 69-52 at the 4:14 mark thanks to a 9-0 run that was capped off by a Taylor lay-in. Despite a Kevin Christie three with 17 ticks left, the visitors from Kentucky finished with a 74-59 victory over the Beavers.

Dropping a game-high 18 points, Kevin Christie knocked down 7-of-14 from the field and dished out three assists. Also contributing for the Beavers was ANDREW HUNTER (Arlington) who chipped in 10 points and Isaiah Taylor with career highs of seven points and seven rebounds.

Transylvania won the shooting battle 55.8 percent (29-of-52) to 44.6 percent (25-of-56) while knocking down two more threes than the Beavers (6-4). The Pioneers dominated the rebounding battle (35-24), but Bluffton was able to force 18 Transylvania turnovers to 15 miscues for the home team. The big difference in the game was bench scoring with the visitors outscoring the home team 39-19 as all 17 Pioneers saw action.

Bluffton will look to avenge this loss when Earlham comes to town on Wednesday, Dec. 6 at 7:30 p.m. Come out and support your Beavers!

-BEAVERS-