By: Brandy Bidlack, sports information assistant
November 18, 2008
BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team knocked off Wilberforce University by a final score of 77-72 on Tuesday, November 18, 2008. The Beavers clawed their way back from 13 points down in the second half to claim a victory in the 2008-09 season opener. The Lady Bulldogs dropped to 1-2 overall.
Junior Vicki Auer (Cincinnati/Roger Bacon) sparked the Beavers' offense with a jumper just 57 seconds into the game. Layups from both Auer and Kim Miller (Delphos/St. John's) pushed the Bluffton lead to 6-0 two minutes into the first stanza. Following a 6-0 Wilberforce run, freshman Becky Ruble (Grover Hill/Wayne Trace) slowed the opponents' rally with a jumper at the 14:57 mark.
Beth Yoder (Marshallville/Smithville) added a triple thanks to an assist from Rachel Daman (Defiance/Tinora) which increased the Bluffton lead to 13-8. Wilberforce responded with a five-point run until Miller and Daman sank two free throws apiece. Ginny Buckingham (Bluffton) proceeded to chip in with a layup and then a pair of charity tosses a minute later to reinforce the Bluffton lead, 21-15.
At the 4:10 mark, Yoder once again scorched the net from behind the arc to make the score 24-17. Over the final 3:22 of the first half, the Bulldogs outscored Bluffton 11-3 to take a 30-29 lead over the home team at the break.
Miller opened the second stanza with a layup, but the visitors followed with an 11-1 explosion during the next three minutes. Following two timeouts by Coach Shutler less than a minute apart, Brittany Lewis (Springfield/Shawnee), Miller, and Lindsay Ebbeskotte (Delphos/Jefferson) each went 2-for-2 from the charity stripe for a six-point comeback. Miller added four more points for the Beavers and she found an open Ebbeskotte for a trey to bring the Beavers within five, 52-47, midway through the second half.
Vicki Auer chipped in four points from the free throw line as the Beavers attempted to trim the Bulldogs' lead. Miller came up with a theft and Lewis finished at the other end with an easy layup. On the visitors' ensuing possession, Lewis stole the ball and fed Auer for a game-changing trifecta in the left corner which gave Bluffton a 62-61 lead at the 5:39 mark. The Beavers finished the game with three chip shots and nine makes on 10 free throws, giving Bluffton a 77-72 victory over Wilberforce in 2008-09 season opener.
Kim Miller led the Beavers with 17 points and three steals. Vicki Auer, who did it all for the Beavers, just missed a double-double with 15 points, nine boards, three assists, and three steals. Ginny Buckingham added 15 points for the Beavers, including going 9-for-12 from the free throw line. She finished with seven rebounds and two steals. Freshman Brittany Lewis, who went 7-8 at the line, chipped in 11 points and three assists, while teammate Rachel Daman had four assists for the night.
The Lady Bulldogs were paced by Tamarra Moss, who had 13 points and five rebounds. Dai'Tiara Brown added 11 points, five assists, five steals, and one board for Wilberforce. Janicia Anderson chipped in 11 points, three rebounds and a steal while Diedra Brown swatted away three Bluffton offerings.
Bluffton shot 75 percent (33-of-44) from the charity stripe, compared to 68.4 percent (13-of-19) for Wilberforce. The Lady Bulldogs snatched five more boards (41-36) than the Beavers. Bluffton hit 20-of-45 (44.4 percent) from the field, while Wilberforce went 27-of-68 (39.7 percent). The teams combined for 51 turnovers, including 26 by the home team.
The Bluffton women will return to action on Friday, November 21, when the Beavers face Saint Mary-of-the-Woods in the second game of the Bluffton Tip-off Tournament. The game is slated to start at approximately 8 p.m. following the Mt. Vernon Nazarene-Thiel contest.
-BEAVERS-