BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team was outscored by 15 points in the second half as visiting Franklin College moved to 13-5 overall and 7-4 in the Heartland Conference with a 71-60 victory on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025. Bluffton slipped to 9-9 and 3-8 in the HCAC.
Six straight Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) counters put the home team up 6-3 before Franklin responded with six of its own for a 9-6 Grizzly advantage. Brown got to the rack for a deuce and Kyla Columber (Marion/Pleasant) dialed long distance as the visitors took a 13-11 lead thanks to wild layup at the end of the first stanza.
Brown continued to find the basket with seven points in quarter number two. Junior Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) added five markers and freshman Mackenzea Townsend (Union City/Mississinawa Valley) chipped in with two buckets, helping the home team to a 32-29 lead at the break.
Sophomore Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) unleashed a triple to open the second half, but the visitors used a 12-2 spurt to open a 43-37 lead at the 3:47 mark. Franklin led by double digits in the third before a 6-2 run by the home team made it 51-45 with one quarter to play.
A pair of Tamron Brinkman (Dayton/East Dayton Christian) baskets followed by a Brown layin cut the deficit to just one point (54-53) with 6:02 to play. However, Franklin responded with a three and the Griz never looked back on the way to a 71-60 win Saturday afternoon.
Brown equaled her career high with 23 points on a blazing 8-of-11 from the field. She ripped down 10 boards for her fourth double double of the season. Brinkman was 5-of-8 for 11 points and Lindsey Smith (Mt. Victory/Kenton) chipped in with seven rebounds. Senior Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) picked up three steals and dished out three assists.
Bluffton was 22-of-59 (37.3 percent) from the field, but only 3-for-21 (14.3 percent) outside the arc. The Beavers were 13-of-16 (81.3 percent) at the line. Franklin pulled down three more rebounds, while Bluffton turned it over two more times (10-8). The Grizzlies finished with a 40-24 edge in paint points.
The Beavers are back in the Sommer Center for a 7 p.m. tip-off with Manchester University on Wednesday, Jan. 29.
-BEAVERS-
