February 14, 2007
CINCINNATI, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team placed four players in double figures but it was unable to overcome a 25-point effort by CHRISTINA MARSH as the Lions held on for a 65-60 win over the Beavers on Wednesday, February 14, 2007. The loss dropped Bluffton to 5-19 overall and 3-12 in the HCAC while MSJ improved to 7-17 with a 2-14 mark in the conference.
TANYA RICKENBERG (Paulding/Paulding) scored the first points of the game two minutes in to give the Beavers an early 2-0 lead.
Former Bluffton player ASHLEIGH STALLKAMP capped a 14-0 Mt. St. Joseph run when she dialed long distance at the 14:25 mark, giving the Lions a 14-2 lead.
A Marsh jumper put the Lions up, 17-6, before Bluffton responded with seven consecutive points, including triples from freshmen LINDSAY EBBESKOTTE (Delphos/Jefferson) and VICKI AUER (Cincinnati/Roger Bacon) midway through the opening stanza.
Bluffton women's career scoring leader Tanya Rickenberg scored four straight points and junior post LINDSAY BUSH(Howard/East Knox) hit back-to-back chip shots to knot the game at 21 with 5:35 on the clock in the first half.
Eight consecutive Marsh points put the Lions back on top by six, 29-23, at the two-minute mark.
The Beavers rallied for the last six points of the half to tie the contest at 29 heading to the break thanks to free throws from AMANDA BELL (Napoleon/Liberty Center) and Rickenberg and an Ebbeskotte layin.
Ebbeskotte and Auer again combined for consecutive treys which gave the Beavers a 37-31 lead early in the second half.
Marsh, who led the Lions with a game-high 25 points on the night, knocked down a pair of three-pointers to cut the MSJ deficit to 39-37 with 13:13 to play.
A SARAH BRUNER (Wauseon/Pettisville) bucket put the Beavers up by three with just under 10 minutes to play in the game.
Three straight Lions' hoops turned Bluffton's three point advantage into a three point deficit less than two minutes later.
When Auer hit her third trifecta of the night with 7:10 on the clock, the Beavers had their last lead of the game, 48-47, as the Mount used a 15-6 jag over the next five minutes to open up a 62-54 lead over the visitors.
Ebbeskotte hit her third triple of the evening and Lindsay Bush scored three straight points to narrow the gap to three points with 21 ticks remaining, but a pair of missed shots and two ASHLEY GRIFFITH makes from the stripe sealed the victory for the Lions, 65-60, giving MSJ a split with the Beavers this year.
The Beavers were 22-of-48 from the field (45.8 percent), including 7-of-15 from outside the arc for 46.7 percent. MSJ was only 23-of-63 on field goals (36.5 percent), but the Lions took advantage of 26 Bluffton turnovers.
Lindsay Bush led the Beavers with 15 points and 12 rebounds on an outstanding 7-of-9 shooting night from the field. Tanya Rickenberg hit 5-of-8 shots for 14 points and she also dished out a team-high six assists. Vicki Auer and Lindsay Ebbeskotte both knocked down three treys on their way to 11 points each. Amanda Bell dropped five dimes on the Lions' defense.
The Beavers will travel to Hanover College on Saturday, February 17, 2007, for their regular season finale. The 1 p.m. contest is the first game of a women's and men's doubleheader versus the Panthers.
-BEAVERS-