November 18, 2016
By: Colton Steiner, sports information assistant
ERIE, Penn. - A stout defense carried the Bluffton University women's basketball team on a night when the Beavers struggled to put the biscuit in the basket. Bluffton outscored Waynesburg 21-11 in the final quarter for a come-from-behind 64-56 victory in the 2016-17 season opener on Friday, Nov. 18.
The Beavers went on a 12-7 run over the final five minutes of period three before limiting the Yellow Jackets to a single basket during the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter, taking a 55-47 lead with just over two minutes to play. Bluffton hit 10-of-12 at the stripe down the stretch to secure the victory and 1-0 start to the season.
Waynesburg knocked down five triples in the opening minutes en route to a 21-16 lead after one quarter of play. Eight points from Rachel Beining (Ottoville) kept the Beavers within striking distance despite the hot three-point shooting on display from the Yellow Jackets.
Two second quarter baskets by the All-Heartland Conference center and a pair of Kaycee Rowe (Harrod/Allen East) freebies with four ticks on the clock made the score 31-26 Waynesburg at the break. Bluffton's tenacious defense limited the Hornets to just four two-point buckets in the first half as Waynesburg stayed on top thanks to 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) shooting from outside the arc.
Leading the way for Bluffton was MACEY SHEERER (Bucyrus) who scored 17 and added six rebounds. Also carrying her lunch box to work was Rachel Beining who finished just board shy of a double-double with 16 points, on 7-of-15 shooting, and nine rebounds. Freshman TJ MILLS (Dayton/Chaminade-Julienne) scored 15 in her first collegiate game. Mills was 5-of-7 from the field and 5-for-6 at the line. Rowe drained all nine of her free throw attempts, while Sheerer hit 8-of-10 foul shots.
Each team struggled from the field as Bluffton shot 31.1 percent (19-of-61) and Waynesburg only managed 33.9 percent (21-of-62). The Yellow Jackets won the 3-point battle as they connected on 10-of-23 (43.5 percent) from behind the arc while the Beavers were just 1-of-5 (20 percent)
A key aspect of the game came from the charity stripe as Bluffton converted 25-of-31 while Waynesburg was only 4-of-5. The Yellow Jackets outrebounded the Beavers, 43-41, Bluffton scored 24 points off of 23 Waynesburg turnovers. Bluffton coughed the ball up 12 times, but the Yellow Jackets only notched six tallies off those turnovers. Addy Knetzer paced Waynesburg with a monumental 20-point, 20-rebound performance on Friday night.
Bluffton jumps right back into action on Saturday when the Beavers take on tournament host Penn State-Behrend at 3 p.m.
-BEAVERS-