BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball team is coming off a banner 2021-22 when the Beavers took second place in the Heartland Conference. Bluffton went 19-7 with a 13-4 mark in the HCAC, behind only Transylvania which finished #5 in the country with a 27-1 mark. The Beavers won 13 of 14 before falling to Anderson University in the Heartland Conference semi-finals.
Two-time First Team All-HCAC selection Brianna Gillig is gone to graduation, leaving a massive hole to fill. The four-time All-Heartland Conference selection finished her career as the all-time leading scorer at Bluffton with 1,426 points. Her 499 made field goals are also at the top of the list. Gillig finished with 755 career rebounds (3rd all-time) and her 242 boards as a senior established a new single-season mark.
Although Bluffton will be without the services of Gillig, the cupboard still contains a First Team All-Heartland Conference honoree in the form of Morgan Smith (Arlington). The standout post gave the Beavers the luxury of bringing a top-flight scoring threat off the bench every night. She was 9th in the league with 12.9 PPG and her 7.9 RPG were 6th in the HCAC. Her 50.9 percent (109-of-214) was far and away the best shooting percentage in the conference.
Fellow seniors Sammy Shardo (Findlay/Liberty-Benton) and Peyton Henry (Leipsic) are both outstanding beyond the arc. Henry went 33-of-85 (38.8 percent) from distance while also ripping down 4.1 RPG. Shardo holds the school record with seven three-pointers in a game and those actually came in the first half of Bluffton's McDonald's tournament win over Cairn during her freshman campaign! She bucketed 6.2 PPG and has 47 starts on her resume.
Injuries slowed junior Maddie Fitzpatrick (Mount Gilead) in 2021-22, but she made strides as the season wore on, handing out 39 assists while shooting 31-of-37 from the line on the way to 5.0 PPG and 4.3 RPG. Fitzpatrick was the starting point guard as a freshman when she dropped in 7.4 PPG. Angel Schneider (Columbus Grove) finished her sophomore campaign with 4.3 PPG and 3.5 RPG. She was 41-for-97 from the field for 42.3 percent.
Two sophomores made big contributions for the Beavers in year one. Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) averaged 8.7 PPG while hitting 39-of-103 (37.9 percent) from outside the arc. Prigge finished 5th in the conference for 3-point shooting percentage on the way to HCAC All-Freshman Team recognition. 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. Olivia Zender (Fostoria/Hopewell Louden) moved into the starting lineup midway through her freshman campaign and that change paid dividends as she doled out 49 assists and locked down the opposing ball handler every night.
Bluffton kicks off the 2022-23 campaign when it welcomes Wooster for a 7 p.m. matchup in the Sommer Center on Saturday, Nov. 12, following the Beaver home football finale with Defiance College. The McDonald's of Bluffton Holiday Classic returns on December 29-30 with Bethany and Denison on the slate for Thursday and Friday between Christmas and New Year's. The regular season will come to a close on Friday, Feb. 17, when Bluffton heads north to face rival Defiance as part of a women's and men's doubleheader.
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