BRITTANY STEGMAIER (Garfield/Trinity) drove to the hoop for two to spark the Bluffton offense at the 19:29 mark. After a quick RHIT jumper, senior guard VICKI AUER (Cincinnati/Roger Bacon) added two points for the Beavers. A triple from Stegmaier put Bluffton up 7-2 just two minutes into the contest.

 

An Engineer three-pointer tied the score at 11 at the 14:52 mark. Stegmaier responded with a jumper and a minute later, with a trifecta which gave Bluffton a three-point edge (16-13). The Beavers remained in control the rest of the half as sophomore ALICIA AMIS (Woodstock/Mechanicsburg) capitalized on an old-fashioned three-point play, giving Bluffton a 36-26 lead.

 

With just 1:03 remaining in the first half, RACHEL DAMAN (Defiance/Tinora) hit a deuce to secure the 38-34 Beaver lead going into halftime.

 

After two quick Rose-Hulman baskets to start the second half, a layup from senior GINNY BUCKINGHAM (Bluffton) put Bluffton back in the lead, 40-38. Following a pair of Amis freebies, the Engineers ended the game on a 22-9 spurt as Rose-Hulman defeated the Bluffton women, 68-59, in Founders Hall.

 

Stegmaier paced Bluffton with 12 points, including two triples. KIM MILLER (Delphos/St. John's) generated 11 points, five rebounds, four assists, three steals and a block in the contest. Buckingham added nine points and four boards while Auer dished out five assists. JENNA REYNOLDS (Logan) tallied eight points, four assists, and she came up with two steals while pulling down five off the glass for Bluffton. The Beavers went 22-of-51 (43.1 percent) from the field, including 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from deep and 12-of-17 (70.6 percent) at the charity stripe.

 

DONNA MARSH led the Engineers with 20 points and five blocks, as well as eight boards. ERIN DAVEY contributed 16 points and five caroms while teammate ALISA DICKERSON had 13 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists for RHIT. Rose-Hulman made 21-of-41 (51.2 percent) from the field, 4-of-11 (36.4 percent) from behind the arc and 22-of-29 (75.9 percent) at the free throw line.

 

The Engineers pulled down a whopping 15 more rebounds than the home team (36-21), but they committed four more turnovers than the Beavers (20-16).

 

 

The Bluffton University women's basketball team will play its final game of the 2009-10 season on Wednesday, February 17, when they face rival Defiance College for Senior Night. The showdown between the Beavers and Yellow Jackets is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. in Founders Hall.