Setting the scene
Both Bluffton and Thomas More are hungry for a win, as a victory for the Beavers would snap a two-game losing streak, while a TMC win would give the Saints their third win the last five games after starting out the season 1-9. Thomas More is the final non-conference foe that Bluffton will meet this season. These two teams will meet again in Crestview Hills, Ky. on Feb. 16 in Bluffton’s final game of the regular season.
The series
Thomas More leads the all-time series 16-8, which dates back to the 1990-91 season. Bluffton won two games against the Saints last season. Thomas More holds an 8-4 record against the Beavers when coming to Founders Hall.
The coaches
Bluffton is led by 13th-year head coach Guy Neal, who ranks fourth on the BC all-time wins list with 131 victories. Thomas More is led by 4th-year head coach Terry Connor, who enters tonight’s contest with a combined record of 34-65 at TMC.
Season records
Bluffton has won four out of their last seven games, but has dropped their last two contests to see their record drop to 6-8 overall. Thomas More started the year off at 1-1 after two games and now has won two out of their last four games and enters tonight’s game with a record of 3-11.
Last year
Bluffton defeated Thomas More twice last year. BC beat TMC in come-from-behind fashion on Jan. 20 at Thomas More to capture a 79-75 win in the final minute. In the second meeting on Feb. 10, an 11-0 run to end the first half sparked the Beavers to a nail biting 70-67 victory in Founders Hall. A Saints 3-pointer bounced off the rim as the final buzzer sounded to avoid overtime.
Last game
Bluffton is coming off an 84-77 loss to Anderson on Saturday afternoon. A 12-3 run by BC late in the first half gave the Beavers a two point lead with 1:34 left in the half, but Anderson came back to take the lead at halftime 36-34 and never let the Beavers regain the lead the rest of the game. The Ravens forced Bluffton into 24 turnovers, which led to 27 points that negated BC’s 45-32 advantage in rebounds and a season best 88.9% effort from the free throw line. Senior Rod Overmyer scored a game-high 21 points and added eight rebounds, while junior Derek DeNero was close behind with 19 points and six boards.
Thomas More is coming off a 93-85 loss to HCAC member Franklin College on Saturday. Sophomore Nick Love scored 16 points in 19 minutes and juniors Dustin Mulberry and Kyle Booth pitched in 15 and 11 points, respectively. Freshman Chad Wachs led the Saints in rebounding with seven.
The players
Bluffton returns four letterwinners this season from last year’s 16-9 squad, which finished one game back of the Heartland Conference regular season title. Thomas More has a new look this season as they have welcomed in 16 freshman. The Saints return just six players from last years 4-20 squad that saw leading scorer Cory Grace not return to the team.
BC senior Rod Overmyer has scored 48 points in the last two games and leads the team in scoring with 18.1 ppg. Overmyer, who earned first team All-HCAC honors last season, has connected on 38 three-pointers and is shooting 39% from behind the arc. Also averaging in double figures are juniors Mike Leimeister (15.3 ppg) and Derek DeNero (14.4 ppg). Leimeister is leading the team in field goal percentage as he is he shooting 61% and DeNero leads the Beavers in rebounds with 6.9 per game. Junior Marcus Bixler leads Bluffton with 6.3 assists per game.
Thomas More is led this year by junior Dustin Mulberry, a 6-3 guard, who is scoring 12.0 points per game. He’s knocked down 31 3-pointers so far this season and is shooting 81% from the free throw line. Mulberry is TMC’s single season three point holder for three’s in a season with 61 last season. Also leading the way for TMC is junior Mark Klein, who is averaging 2.6 assists per game while shooting 56% from the field. Freshman Chad Wachs is the man on the boards for the Saints as he is averaging 5.0 rebounds per game.
Out of the top 10 scorers for the Saints, seven are underclassmen.
Around the HCAC
Also on the HCAC schedule Wednesday night, Transylvania hosts Anderson, Manchester hosts Franklin, and Mount St. Joseph hosts Hanover.
