By: Joseph Watkins, sports information assistant
TIFFIN, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball team knocked off Heidelberg University, 79-76, on the road with three Beavers notching double digits on Saturday, Nov. 24, 2018. Although Bluffton was up by as many as 19 with 16:50 to play, it took several key plays down the stretch to ultimately put the Beavers over the top for their third win (3-1) of the season.
Bluffton held a 45-36 advantage at the half and pushed it to 19 with less than 17 minutes to play before Heidelberg got untracked. The Student Princes cut the lead to one when Myron Prewitt hit a layup which made the score 77-76 with just two seconds left in the game. The Beavers hung on thanks to two huge free throws by junior Andrew Renner (Cairo/Bath) which sealed the outcome.
The Beavers jumped out to a quick 8-0 advantage just two minutes into the contest. A Dezman Brown (Elyria) triple with 3:40 left in the half put the visitors up 42-29. The Beavers closed the stanza out on a high note, going into the break up 45-36. The Student Princes fought back throughout the second half, but came up just short as the Student Princes stayed winless (0-3) on the season.
Renner and Brown led three Beavers in double figures as they both put up 20 points for the victors. Brown's 20 was a career high as the sophomore drilled 6-of-8 from the field, including 5-of-6 from three-point land. Renner and freshman Jameel Cosby (Springfield/Kenton Ridge) both dished out six assists. The other Beaver in double digits was Aaron Rich (Greenville) who had 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting to go along with his five assists, four rebounds and two blocks.
Bluffton hit 29-of-61 (47.5 percent) from the field, including 6-of-16 (37.5 percent) from behind the arc. The Beavers pulled down six more boards (44-38), but turned it over four more times (16-12).
Bluffton will be back in the Sommer Center on Wednesday, Nov. 28, when the Beavers play host to Kalamazoo in a non-conference matchup that is slated to tip at 8 p.m. following the Bluffton women's contest with John Carroll at 6 p.m.
-BEAVERS-