DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Bluffton University men's basketball team sent Head Coach Guy Neal into retirement with a satisfying 63-42 win at Defiance College on Friday, Feb. 17, 2023! Bluffton finished with a 6-19 mark overall and 4-14 in the Heartland Conference as Coach Neal put victory number 394 in the win column. Defiance fell to 7-18 and 2-16 in the HCAC.
Bluffton saw a 12-point second-half lead dwindle to three (32-29) following a Grant Johnson three-pointer at the 14:18 mark, but when senior Miguel Ringer (Cincinnati/Christian) entered the fray less than a minute later that would be the beginning of the end for the Yellow Jackets. His stickback with 12:58 to play ignited a 31-13 jag that quieted a Defiance gymnasium that was looking for a Friday night sweep.
A Ringer layup with 9:27 to play put the Beavers up 41-33 and when he got to the rack at the 6:39 mark the score was 45-36. Three Brady Wheeler (Lima/Shawnee) freebies and a pair of Ringer charity tosses pushed the Bluffton spread to 54-36, effectively icing the outcome for Bluffton. Michael Stammen (Versailles) added four straight markers, allowing Coach Neal to bring his seniors out for a crowd-pleasing encore! When Ringer drilled his first career three-pointer, the crowd erupted as Bluffton salted away its 63-42 demolition of the Yellow Jackets.
The offenses struggled throughout the first half, but 10 rebounds and six points from sophomore Connor Martin (Holland/Springfield) helped the Beavers to a 26-17 lead after 20 minutes of action. Fellow big JD Stokes (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) was also outstanding in the first half with four points, four rebounds, one assist and two steals in nine minutes off the bench. A Ryan Rose (Tipp City/Bethel) trifecta early in the second half got the Beaver offense rolling after two empty possessions coming out of the break.
Ringer scored all of his game-high 15 points on 5-of-7 shooting in the second half. Wheeler added 12 points on 8-of-12 shooting at the stripe. Stammen and Cam Rogers (Cincinnati/Christian) chipped in nine and eight points, respectively. Martin finished with 17 boards, the most by a Beaver in 2022-23.
Bluffton hit 21-of-50 (42 percent) from the field while limiting Defiance to a miniscule 27.3 percent shooting night (15-of-55). The Beavers dominated to the tune of a 47-31 edge on the glass and they made 12 more free throws (18-6).
With the 2022-23 season complete, congratulations are in order for Coach Neal on his upcoming retirement after 34 years at the helm!
-BEAVERS-