By: Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant
February 16, 2008
HANOVER, Ind. - The Bluffton University women's basketball team came up short in overtime against HCAC rival Hanover College, 72-68, on Saturday, February 16, 2008. The Beavers fell to 8-15 overall and 2-12 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Hanover improved to 15-8 overall and 9-5 in the HCAC.
Senior AMANDA BELL (Napoleon/Liberty Center) sparked the Beavers with a three-pointer less than two minutes into the game. A layup from GINNY BUCKINGHAM (Bluffton/Bluffton) and a LINDSAY EBBESKOTTE (Delphos/Jefferson) trey increased the Bluffton lead to six points, 10-4, with 16:29 to play in the first half.
At the 12:04 mark, Bell sank another triple. LINDSAY BUSH (Howard/East Knox) hit from in close to put Bluffton up 17-13 with 11 minutes left in the first half. After an 11-4 run by the Panthers, ANGIE LEE (Mt. Blanchard/Vanlue) retaliated with a jumper. Bush hit another jumper to give Bluffton the lead once again, 25-24.
A layup from Buckingham put the Beavers up by three, 27-24. Thanks to an assist from KIM MILLER (Delphos/St. John's), Bush made another easy layup. With 1:22 remaining in the first half, KATIE LORD (Toledo/Whitmer) sank a trey, making the score 34-30 in favor of Bluffton at the half.
Bluffton started out the second half with a jumper from Bush. Hanover took the lead at the 16:21 mark when LACEY HORNADAY dialed long distance. Bush responded with 12:44 to play when she knocked down a jumper to cut the Panthers' lead to five points, 47-42.
After jumpers from Lee and Miller, the Beavers were within three points of the Panthers, 49-46. At the 9:07 mark, Lee buried a three-pointer and less than two minutes later, a Lord layup again trimmed the Hanover edge to three points.
With 5:09 remaining, Kim Miller made a jumper to give Bluffton the lead, 57-55. Bell's third trifecta of the night increased the lead to five points. A pair of free throws by Miller put Bluffton up 62-55 with 3:48 to play, but a 9-2 run by the home team sent the game into overtime.
Bluffton started slowly in overtime as Miller scored the first points for the Beavers with only 1:53 to play in the extra session. With 45 seconds left to play, Bush chipped in two points cutting the deficit to one, but it was not enough for a victory over Hanover. Panther AUDREY SIEBRASE hit a jumper and Hornaday made a freebie to seal the win, 72-68.
Lindsay Bush and Kim Miller both led the Beavers with 14 points each. Bush grabbed seven boards and Miller pulled down five rebounds. Miller and Bush had five and four assists, respectively, and Miller picked up three steals. Amanda Bell chipped in with 11 points and Angie Lee added nine markers and four assists for Bluffton. Ginny Buckingham finished with eight points, four boards, two assists, and two steals.
Freshman standout MOLLY MARTIN paced Hanover with a double-double, tallying 24 points and 10 rebounds. Martin also dished out three assists, blocked three shots and picked up a steal. Lacey Hornaday dropped in 17 points and grabbed five rebounds. Audrey Siebrase had seven assists and Chelle Bentz cleared 11 boards.
Bluffton went 29-of-75 (38.7 percent) from the field while Hanover made 28-of-63 (44.4 percent). Both teams made six triples, but Hanover had seven more turnovers than Bluffton, 19-12. The Panthers hit 10-for-21 (47.6 percent) from the free throw line, compared to only 4-of-6 (66.7 percent) for the Beavers. The Panthers held a commanding 48-36 edge on the boards.
The Bluffton University women's basketball team returns to action on Wednesday, February 20, 2008, when the Beavers welcome Mt. St. Joseph. Tip time is slated for 7:30 p.m. in Founders Hall.
-BEAVERS-