BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team played even with perennial-power Transylvania for much of the game on Saturday, Dec. 14, but a 20-4 advantage in the second quarter propelled the host Pioneers to a 67-51 victory. Bluffton slipped to 5-3 overall and 1-2 in the Heartland Conference, while Transy improved to 6-2 with a spotless 3-0 mark in HCAC play.

The Pioneers followed their usual roadmap to open the contest, drilling three straight triples for a 9-0 lead less than two minutes in. Bluffton still trailed by nine (13-4) before the offense found some rhythm in the final five minutes of the opening stanza. Senior Tamron Brinkman (Dayton/East Dayton Christian) scored six straight as Bluffton pulled within 16-10 at the 2:39 mark. Mackenzea Townsend (Union City/Mississinawa Valley) nailed a jumper and sophomore Alexis Stevely (Marion/Wynford) hit from distance, making it 19-15 Transylvania after one period.

Transy opened a comfortable 39-19 spread at the half courtesy of a 20-4 edge in quarter two, but the Beavers stormed out of the break with a 13-4 run that pulled the visitors within 11 (43-32) midway through the third quarter. A pair of Brinkman buckets along with two Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) chip shots sandwiched around a Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) trifecta powered Bluffton during the spurt. The Pioneers pushed their lead to 48-34 heading to the final stanza as Bluffton managed just a lone Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) basket over the final fine minutes of the third frame.

The Beavers were unable to get it back to single digits in the fourth despite five points from Fenstermaker and a Clark triple as Transy improved to 3-0 in the league following its 67-51 victory.

Fenstermaker was 6-of-12 for a team-high 13 markers, while Brinkman went 5-of-10 with a dozen points. Brinkman ripped down a career-best 12 boards for her first collegiate double-double! Junior Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) chipped in with eight points. Fenstermaker just missed out on a double-double with nine caroms. Brown and Clark dished out five and four assists, respectively.

The Bluffton defense limited the Pioneers to just 25-of-67 from the field (37.7 percent), but Transy knocked down six more triples (9-3). The visitors pulled down four more rebounds (42-38), but they also coughed it up 11 more times (17-6).

Bluffton heads back to Kentucky for a 2 p.m. tip-off at Berea College on Wednesday, Dec. 18. 

-BEAVERS-