BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team pulled a rabbit out of its hat, rallying from eight points down with just over two minutes to play as the Beavers beat Kalamazoo 59-56 in the home opener on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. Bluffton improved to 2-1 on the season, while the Hornets slipped to 1-2 overall.

Trailing 53-45 with 2:33 to play, Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) found sophomore Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) for a good three-ball. Brown got to the rack for a deuce before fellow junior Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) converted an old-fashioned three-point play, making it 55-53 with 1:17 on the clock. Fenstermaker got free inside with 29 seconds remaining and the game was tied at 55 apiece. Senior Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) picked Ruby Hogan's pocket and turned it into a 57-55 Bluffton lead with 20 ticks remaining! Kalamazoo split a pair of freebies with less than 10 seconds to play and Brown drained both of her attempts from the line for a 59-56 spread. A triple attempt from Lauren Vanderstellt at the buzzer was off the mark and the Sommer Center faithful erupted as Bluffton moved to 2-1 on the season.

Senior Lindsey Smith (Mt. Victory/Kenton) propelled the home team to a 17-14 lead after frame one, hitting all three of her shots for a team-high six points. Junior Kyla Columber (Marion/Pleasant) drained a triple late in the first quarter to help the cause.

The Beavers went cold in the second quarter, getting outscored 18-7 which made it 32-24 Kalamazoo at the break. Brown's trifecta was the lone bright spot, but that came with over eight minutes to play in the half.

Prigge led a balanced attack in the third quarter, dropping in four points as six Beavers found their way to the scoring column. The home team won the battle (14-12) in period three, but Bluffton still trailed by six going to the final stanza.

Managing just two free throws through the first five minutes of the fourth, Bluffton was down 47-40 with less than five minutes to play. Three counters from Brown and a Smith bucket with 2:57 to play set the stage for Bluffton's stunning comeback on Wednesday night.

Brown came up just one point shy of her career high, hitting 4-of-10 from the field and 8-of-13 at the line for a team-high 17 points. She doubled her previous career best with eight boards and she also dished out four assists. Smith got it done with 11 points and 10 rebounds for her third career double-double. She added four blocked shots as well. Fenstermaker just missed out on the double-double business with nine counters and 10 caroms. Clark dished out a game-high five dimes.

Bluffton was rewarded for its effort despite hitting just 19-of-60 (31.7 percent) from the field, including a paltry 3-for-16 (18.8 percent) outside the arc. The Beavers also struggled at the line, connecting on 18-of-28 for 64.3 percent. The home team pulled down one more rebound (45-44) and it also forced the Hornets into five more tunrovers (18-13).

The Beavers will hit the road on Sunday, Nov. 24, for a matchup with the Britons of Albion College. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.

-BEAVERS-