ADRIAN, Mich. - The Bluffton University women's basketball team went up 23-11 in the first quarter and never looked back in a 66-45 win at Adrian College on Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2021. Bluffton improved to 4-4 with its second straight victory, while Adrian fell to 3-8 on the season.
Four free throws by Angel Schneider (Columbus Grove) and two from Ella Zaborowski (Toledo/Christian) put the Beavers up 6-0 just over a minute into the game. When Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) drained a triple at the 5:33 mark, she made it 15-8 in favor of the good guys. Layups by Prigge and fellow freshman Olivia Zender (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) pushed the spread to 19-8 less than two minutes later. Two buckets by Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) gave the Beavers a comfortable 25-14 advantage after period one.
Gillig continued to punish the Bulldogs with two more deuces early in the second quarter as Bluffton opened a 31-14 lead with 6:40 on the clock. Sophomore Sydney Cavanaugh (Mansfield/St. Peter's) cashed in from deep and Morgan Smith (Forest/Arlington) followed with a pair of two-point conversions, giving Bluffton a 44-29 lead at the break.
A Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) trifecta spearheaded a 9-2 Beaver run coming out of the gate as Bluffton went up 53-31 just two and a half minutes into the second half. Both offenses struggled late in the third quarter, but Bluffton still held a commanding 56-33 lead heading into the final 10 minutes of action.
Four quick points by Gillig to start the final stanza put the game on ice as Bluffton led 60-33 with 8:59 to play. Freshman Breena Plank (Ashland) capped off Bluffton's scoring with a jumper at the 3:22 mark and the Beavers closed out their second straight victory with a 66-45 win on Wednesday night.
Gillig just missed a double-double with 18 points and nine defensive rebounds. Zender hit 4-of-6 from the field for a career-high 10 counters and she doled out three assists. Prigge and Shardo chipped in with nine points apiece. Smith added nine boards and six points.
Bluffton dominated on the glass with a 58-32 advantage, including 19 offensive rebounds. The Beavers hit 24-of-67 from the field for 35.8 percent, but just 3-of-21 (14.3 percent) from distance. Adrian struggled to a 15-of-61 (24.6 percent) shooting night. The visitors were a sparkling 15-of-17 (88.2 percent) at the charity stripe. Bluffton hammered away with a 36-14 edge in the paint and the Beavers never trailed at Adrian.
The women will head home for Christmas before opening the McDonald's Classic with a 5 p.m. matchup against Geneva College on Wednesday, Dec. 29.
-BEAVERS-