January 12, 2013
By: Jordan Marbaugh, sports information assistant

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team dominated Anderson University from start to finsh in a 79-64 victory over the Ravens on Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013. Bluffton improved to 8-7 on the year and 3-5 in Heartland Conference. Anderson slipped to 4-11 overall and 3-5 in HCAC.

Anderson opened the game with a layup before Bluffton seized control thanks to a 14-4 run over the next five minutes, giving the Beavers a 14-6 lead with 13:19 left in the first half. At the 11:59 mark, MIKAYLA COBURN (McGuffey/Upper Scioto Valley) found fellow sophomore BRENNA KURILEC (Mt. Gilead/Gilead Christian) in the corner for a triple, extending the lead to 20-9.

The Beavers closed the first half on a 15-6 spurt, including a pair of buckets by freshman KAREN WISE (Findlay/Riverdale), to forge a commanding 48-28 lead at the break. The Beavers scored 23 points off turnovers in the first half, compared to just five for Anderson.

TAYLOR WHITAKER (Mansfield/Lexington) opened the second half with a three on another assist from Coburn. The Beavers cruised in the final stanza on their way to victory, leading by as many as 29 points. The home team went up by 27 with 8:32 left following an old-fashioned three-point play by Kurilec and a LAUREN HUTTON (New Riegel) layup, making the score 73-46. The Beavers were able to empty the bench as they closed out their 79-64 victory.

The offense was led by Brenna Kurilec as she dropped in 16 points on the heels of a career-high 20-point effort in Wednesday night's win over Earlham. Three other Beavers were in double digits with 11, including Taylor Whitaker, RACHEL DEBORD (Lebanon) and KYLEE BURKHOLDER (West Unity/Hilltop). Burkholder also pulled down five rebounds and handed out a career-best three dimes. Taylor Knight dished out a career-high five assists in the victory. Coburn and DeBord added four assists each.

It was a total team win as Bluffton had 21 assists on 29 field goals. The Beavers were a red-hot 53.7 percent from the field, including a blazing 58.3 percent (7-for-12) from behind the three-point line.

Bluffton returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 16, when the women travel to Manchester University. The game is set to tip at 7:30 p.m.

-BEAVERS-