BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team had national-power Transylvania University on the ropes, but the Pioneers held on for a 50-45 victory on Saturday, Feb. 8, 2025. Bluffton slipped to 10-12 overall and 4-11 in the Heartland Conference, while Transy improved to 16-5 and 14-1 in the HCAC.
Senior Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) just beat the shot clock for a leadoff triple and freshman Mackenzea Townsend (Union City/Mississinawa Valley) followed with a deuce for a quick 5-0 lead over the Pioneers. Transy scored 11 of the next 13 points before Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) and Tamron Brinkman (Dayton, Ohio/East Dayton Christian) buckets made it 14-11 Pioneers after period one.
Alexis Stevely (Marion/Wynford) and Brinkman both cashed in with jumpers and Katie Sims (Perrysburg) dialed long distance, putting the home team up 20-14 at the 5:46 mark of quarter two. Brinkman and Brown added deuces late in the half as Bluffton took a slim 24-23 lead at the break.
The third stanza was the difference as Transylvania used a 17-9 edge to go up 40-33 with just one frame to play. Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) never left the floor in the third quarter, going 2-of-3 for four points.
Bluffton mounted a furious rally to open the final frame, pulling within one (44-43) at the 5:41 mark. Lindsey Smith (Mount Victory/Kenton) ignited the spurt with back-to-back layups. The Beavers were still within a point following a Brown chip shot with 4:20 to play, but three turnovers and four misses down the stretch added up to a 50-45 Transylvania victory on Saturday afternoon.
Brown paced the Beavers with 12 points and she pulled down seven rebounds. Brinkman added 10 markers and six caroms. Clark went for six points, six rebounds and four assists, while Smith ripped down nine boards to go along with four points, three assists, two steals and a block.
Bluffton hit just 19-of-53 from the field (35.8 percent), including 3-of-12 (25 percent) outside the arc. The home team pulled down one more rebound (39-38), but Bluffton turned it over two more times (14-12).
The women hit the road for a 7 p.m. battle at Manchester University on Wednesday, Feb. 12, needing a win over the Spartans to stay in the hunt for a berth in the upcoming HCAC Tournament.
-BEAVERS-
