By: Colton Steiner
MANCHESTER, Ind. - The Bluffton University men's basketball squad hit the road to face off against the Manchester University Spartans on Wednesday, Jan. 29. After falling behind early, the Beavers struggled to get back into the contest in an 82-71 loss, falling to 4-15 on the season with a 3-9 mark in the HCAC. The hosts improved to 6-12 overall and 2-10 in conference play.
After the Spartans would get on the board first, William Layfield (West Chester/Lakota West) would knock down a three to put Bluffton up 3-2 in the first minute. The teams exchanged buckets, but Manchester would go on a 13-2 run to take a 20-9 lead with just under 12 minutes left in the half. A three from Josh Crusey (Piqua) and a Nevin Robson (Kenton/Hardin Northern) jumper trimmed the deficit to four, but a triple from the Spartans extended their lead to 23-16.
The Beavers responded with an 11-6 run to cut the Manchester lead to two with William Layfield knocking down another three with 4:06 to play before the break. The one-possession game would be short lived, with the home team finishing the half on a 12-6 run to take a 41-33 lead at the break.
Manchester would score first to start the second half, but an old-fashioned three-point play from Luke Beyke (St. Henry) cut the deficit to seven. The two teams went back and forth, exchanging basket for basket. Following a pullup jumper from Beyke, the Spartans went on a 7-2 spurt to jump ahead 63-49 with 9:25 to play.
Bluffton was able to find some offense, answering with a 10-2 run while cutting the Manchester lead to six points with only 5:32 left in regulation. The home team pushed its lead to 10 before a pullup jumper from Luke Beyke cut the deficit to single digits. The Spartans would stay strong in the final minutes en route to an 82-71 victory over the Beavers.
Bluffton struggled to find momemtum on offense, hitting only 38.2 percent (26-of-68) of their shots for the game while Manchester would knock down an even 50 percent (28-of-56). From behind the arc, the home team connected on 8-of-22 (36.4 percent) to just 4-of-24 (16.7 percent) for the Beavers. The Spartans won the battle of the boards, 38-33. Bluffton coughed it up just nine times, but Manchester had great ball movement, dishing out 19 assists to seven for the visitors.
Freshman Luke Beyke led Bluffton with a career-high 17 points to go along with three rebounds and a pair of assists. Ian Snelling (Erlanger, Ky./Dixie Heights) added 12 with four steals, while William Layfield and Nevin Robson each notched 10 counters. Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Cincinnati Christian) ripped down a team-high nine boards to go along with a team-best three assists.
The Beavers will look to get back in the win column when they hit the road on Saturday, Feb. 1. Bluffton travels to Hanover College for a 2 p.m. matchup with the Panthers.
-BEAVERS-