January 19, 2013
By: Ryan Schadewald, sports information assistant
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Bluffton University women traveled to Terre Haute, Ind., to take on the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology on Saturday, Jan. 19. The Engineers rode a late first half run and carried that momentum to a 53-47 win over the Beavers. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak for Bluffton and dropped their record to 4-6 in the Heartland Conference, 9-8 overall. Rose-Hulman improved to 3-7 in the conference.
The game started with freshman phenom Brooke Ruffer (Stryker) converting on two straight attempts from the field. The Engineers responded with a 9-0 run for a 9-4 lead at the 15:57 mark. The Beavers took the lead back by scoring six consecutive points of their own. The run started with a deuce and a free throw by Ruffer and was finished when freshman Kaitlyn Pennekamp (Hamilton/Ross) was fouled shooting a three-ball. She converted on all three free throws as Bluffton led 10-9 at the 11:37 mark of the first half.
The lead changed hands five times over the next three minutes. However, starting at the 8:34 mark of the first half, the Engineers went on a 12-4 spurt to push the lead into double digits, 30-18, at the 2:13 mark of the first half. The half ended with a free throw from freshman Taylor Knight (Perrysburg) and a layup by junior Kylee Burkholder (West Unity/Hilltop), making the score 30-21 heading to the locker rooms.
The second period opened with a 6-0 run for the visitors which cut the Engineer lead to three, 30-27. The spurt started with a layup from Ruffer. Knight followed with two makes from the charity stripe before a deuce from Burkholder. After the Engineers finally broke the run with lay-in of their own, back-to-back jumpers by sophomore Rachel DeBord (Lebanon) cut the Engineer lead to one point, 32-31, at the 11:18 mark.
After Rose-Hulman converted on a deuce, Burkholder answered with one of her own to get the Rose lead back down to one. The Engineers used a 5-0 run to open their lead up to six. After two makes from the charity stripe by Ruffer, Carrie Morris for RHIT drained another triple which made it a seven-point game.
The teams continued to trade buckets with the Engineers' lead staying between three and seven points the rest of the way as Rose-Hulman worked their way to a 53-47 victory over the Beavers.
Brooke Ruffer paced Bluffton with a game-high 15 points and seven boards while shooting 6-of-13 from the field. Rachel DeBord added six points, while Kylee Burkholder chipped in with five counters and four rebounds. The Engineers had three ladies in double figures, led by Morris who scored 14 points off the bench thanks to four trifectas.
The visitors struggled from the field, shooting only 33.3 percent (16-of-48), including 0-for-5 from beyond the arc. The Engineers hit 43.2 percent from the floor and 41.2 percent outside the arc. The Beavers also got out-rebounded, 35-28. Bluffton did a nice job of creating 22 turnovers by RHIT, compared to 14 for the Beavers.
The Beavers travel to Richmond, Ind., on Wednesday night for their second game against the Earlham Quakers in two weeks. The contest will tip at 7:30 p.m. Bluffton will return home next Saturday with a men's and women's doubleheader against the Franklin College Grizzlies. Due to the men's Alumni Day festivities, they will play first at 2 p.m. followed by the women's game at 4 p.m. Come out and support your Beavers!
-BEAVERS-