BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball team dropped a 59-45 decision to Franklin College on Saturday, Jan. 14, 2023. Franklin moved to 9-6 overall and 5-3 in the Heartland Conference, while Bluffton fell to 4-11 and 2-6 in the HCAC.
A Brady Wheeler (Lima/Shawnee) triple put Bluffton up 3-0 at the 18:29 mark but it would be the only time the home team led as Franklin rolled off the next 15 points and never looked back. The Beavers managed just five points until Marcus Bruns (Coldwater) dialed long distance with just 6:04 to play in the first half. Senior Kegan Owen (Indianapolis, Ind./Greenwood) added a triple and JD Stokes (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) got to the rack for an easy deuce as Bluffton trailed 26-13 at the break.
The Beavers opened the second half with four straight, however, a 12-2 Franklin splurge effectively ended it as the Grizzlies opened up a 38-19 lead midway through the second half. Wheeler hit back-to-back jumpers and Michael Stammen (Versailles) added four points over the final 1:33, but time ran out with Franklin taking the contest by a 59-45 margin.
Wheeler and Stammen went for 13 and 10 points, respectively. Bruns hit 3-of-5 for eight markers and he led the home team with seven boards.
Bluffton managed just 15-of-53 shooting from the field for 28.3 percent and the Beavers held Franklin to 20-of-53 (37.7 percent) as scoring was at a premium for both teams. Franklin struggled to an 11-of-20 night at the line, while Bluffton drilled 10-of-11 (90.9 percent) freebies. The Grizzlies pulled down six more rebounds (40-34) and the Beavers turned it over five more times (16-11).
The Beavers will be back in the Sommer Center on Wednesday, Jan. 18, when Manchester University comes to town for a 7:30 p.m. Heartland Conference clash.
-BEAVERS-
