BLUFFTON, Ohio - Bluffton University saw two of its women's basketball players named First Team All-Heartland Conference when the HCAC handed out the hardware on Wednesday, Feb. 23, 2022. It marked the first time since 2017-18 (Kaycee Rowe and Macey Sheerer) that Bluffton has multiple first team honorees and just the fourth time since joining the Heartland in 1998-99. Senior Brianna Gillig (New Riegel) and junior Morgan Smith (Arlington) were two of the six First Team All-HCAC honorees, while Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) took home All-Freshman Team recognition.
With the post-season tournament still in play, Gillig is already tied for the most points in Bluffton women's basketball history. Her free throws with 10 seconds to play in the HCAC quarter-final win over Franklin on Sunday gave Gillig 1,393 career points which knotted the senior with Macey Sheerer at the top of the list!
Gillig ranks 4th in the Heartland with 15.3 PPG, while her 9.2 RPG are 2nd in the conference. She has ripped down 230 rebounds this season, leaving Gillig just two boards away from Kaycee Rowe's school-record 232 from 2017-18. She hit 131-of-322 (40.7 percent) from the field and 115-of-155 (74.2 percent) at the line. Those 115 makes have Gillig 6th all-time for single-season free throws.
A four-time All-Heartland Conference selection, Gillig notched her second straight first team award in 2021-22. She was on the HCAC All-Freshman team following her first season and followed that up with Second Team All-HCAC as a sophomore. With her final season not yet in the books, Gillig is currently 2nd on the career field goals made list with 488 makes. Her 743 rebounds are 3rd all-time, while her 8.0 RPG are 2nd at Bluffton. Gillig is 3rd on the career charts with 382 free throws through the net. The all-time great was named HCAC Player of the twice this season and five times for her career.
Gillig also walks away from Bluffton as the all-time leading scorer for a single game. She put up a Bluffton and Heartland Conference record 41 points at Manchester on January 29, 2021, torching the previous school mark of 33 points. The junior hit 15-of-25 against the Spartans while knocking down 9-of-10 at the charity stripe.
Joining Gillig on the first team was her running mate on the opposite side of the key. Smith claimed her first All-Heartland Conference award as one of the top six players in the HCAC despite starting just one of her 21 games this season! Smith gave the Beavers the luxury of bringing a top-flight scoring threat off the bench every night. She is 8th in the league with 13.4 PPG and her 8.1 RPG are currently 5th in the HCAC. Her 51.7 percent (108-of-209) was far and away the best shooting percentage in the conference.
Smith was recently named the HCAC Player of the Week, the second time she collected that honor this season. She and Gillig made life miserable for opposing teams who struggled to match their ability to control the paint.
Also getting into the All-HCAC awards action was freshman sharpshooter Kayla Prigge. She averaged 8.7 PPG while hitting 38-of-99 (38.4 percent) from outside the arc. Prigge finished 5th in the conference for 3-point shooting percentage and it was tied for 11th all-time at Bluffton. Her 38 makes are 13th all time for a season.
She had a party in the regular-season finale against rival Defiance, blowing up the Jackets with a career-high 26 points on 6-of-9 shooting from distance. Prigge was a jack of all trades, leading the Beavers with 30 steals and 18 blocks, while also doling out 32 assists.
Bluffton knocked Franklin College out of the HCAC Tournament on Sunday and the Beavers are now slated to play No. 6 seed Anderson in Lexington, Ky., on Friday night at 7 p.m. The winner of that semifinal will lock horns with either Rose-Hulman or #2 ranked Transylvania on Saturday, Feb. 26.
-BEAVERS-