BLUFFTON, Ohio - It took 39:49 to get it done, but two free throws by Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) iced the victory and landed her in a tie for the all-time scoring lead at Bluffton University! The Beavers overcame a 16-of-62 (25.8 percent) shooting display to take down Franklin College, 55-48, in the first round of the Heartland Conference tournament on Sunday, Feb. 20. Bluffton improved to 19-6 and the Beavers will now play #6 seed Anderson University at Transylvania on Friday, Feb. 25 in the HCAC semi-finals.
Franklin led by as many as eight points early in the third quarter before Bluffton began the slow grind that saw the home team survive and advance. A Cici Bailey laying midway through the fourth quarter knotted the game for the 10th and final time. Gillig put the Beavers up with three free throws and Morgan Smith (Arlington) banked one in from just outside the key, making it 50-45 with less than a minute to play.
A Kayla Bruner triple pulled FC within two points at 50-48, but Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) split a pair of freebies and Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) drained both of her attempts with 18 seconds on the clock. When Gillig sealed the victory with her two foul shots, the crowd erupted for career-point 1,393!
Bluffton jumped out to a quick 5-0 lead on the strength of an Emma Saltzman (Arcadia) layup and an Olivia Zender (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) trifecta, but the offense bogged down as it took a Gillig bunny with 13 seconds on the clock to knot the game at 12 apiece after one quarter.
The home team managed just one second-quarter point from someone not named Morgan Smith as Bluffton trailed 25-19 at the break.
Franklin pushed its lead to 29-21 two minutes in the third quarter, but Bluffton was not ready to cash out on its 2021-22 season. Juniors Peyton Henry (Leipsic) and Shardo dialed long distance and when Zender converted a pair of free throws, the score was even up at 31-31 with 3:37 on the clock. Fitzpatrick knocked down a jumper and Zender stepped outside the arc, giving the home team a 39-35 lead heading to the final stanza.
Fitzpatrick and Smith dropped deuces as Franklin tied it up three times in the fourth quarter before Bluffton's 10-3 spurt over the final 3:36 sent the Beavers into the HCAC final four!
Bluffton hit a paltry 16-of-62 (25.8 percent) from the field, including an anemic 4-for-18 (22.2 percent) outside the arc. The Beavers converted 19-of-24 (79.2 percent) at the line. Bluffton pulled down a whopping 56 rebounds, including 20 on the offensive glass, while Franklin finished with 37 boards. The home team took advantage with 22 second chance points. The Grizzlies also struggled to make shots, hitting just 18-of-62 (29.0 percent) from the field.
Gillig put up 12 points and 15 rebounds for her 24th career double-double and the two makes at the line with 11 seconds on the clock has her tied with Macey Sheerer (1,393) at the top of Bluffton's all-time scoring list! Smith chipped in her 6th double-double with a game-high 16 points and 10 boards. Zender chipped in eight points, while Saltzman came down with eight rebounds.
The Beavers will head to Lexington, Ky., for an HCAC semi-final matchup with Anderson University on Friday, Feb. 25. The start time will likely be 5 or 7 p.m.
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