Weekly Recap 1-26

Bluffton picks up two Heartland Conference wins on week, Yelley posts 20 points against Mount St. Joe as he goes 12-for-12 from the free throw line

                  

By Ben Risinger, SID

January 26, 2004

 

   The Bluffton men’s basketball team (8-9, 2-4 HCAC) won both contests last week as they defeated Mount St. Joseph 75-67 and Anderson 58-53. The wins give the Beaver’s their first victories so far this season in the conference and moves them from last to sixth in the HCAC. The Beavers will host long-time rival Defiance College on Wednesday night at Founders Hall. A win over Defiance would give Bluffton sole possession of fifth place in the conference. Tip off for the game is scheduled for 7:30 pm. On Saturday Bluffton will host No. 6 Hanover College with a start time of 3 pm. 

BLUFFTON 75, MOUNT ST. JOSEPH 67
The Bluffton College men’s basketball team (7-9, 1-4 HCAC) won their first Heartland Conference game 75-67 over Mount St. Joseph (7-9, 1-4 HCAC) on Wednesday night.


Sophomore Bryan Yelley (Wheelersburg/Wheelersburg) led the Beavers with a career high 20 points, shooting an outstanding 12-of-12 from the free throw line. He also led the Beavers in rebounding with six boards for the evening. Senior Brad Boyles (Berne, Ind./South Adams) was the only other Beaver in double figure scoring with 19 points. Freshman Eric Schwieterman (St. Henry/St. Henry) threw in a career high five points for the game.

 

Bluffton controlled the pace of the game from the start as they went up 10-5 early in the contest. The Lions would battle back to tie the game at 22 all with 6:52 left to play in the first half. The Beavers did not give up as they would go into the locker room with a 33-28 lead. Mount St. Joseph gave the Beavers one more good run in the middle of the second half as Bluffton’s lead would be squeezed to 48-46. The Beavers answered right back with a 9-0 run to widen the lead for good.

Mount St. Joseph led the battle of the boards with 30 rebounds for the night to Bluffton’s 25. The Lions scored 18 points off of turnovers to Bluffton’s 14. Mount St. Joseph also led the game in second chance points with 14 to the Beaver’s 10.

BLUFFTON 58, ANDERSON 53
The Bluffton College men’s basketball team (8-9, 2-4 HCAC) defeated Anderson University (7-10, 2-4 HCAC) 58-53 Saturday afternoon. The win gives Bluffton their second consecutive Heartland Conference victory.

 

The Beavers started the game on a very positive note as they came out with a 15-4 lead with 9:48 left in the first half. The Ravens would make an effort in the first period, but fell short as Bluffton led 29-22 heading into the locker room. Things would get tougher for the Beavers in the second half as their lead would never eclipse ten for the rest of the game. With 1:04 left to play a quick lay up by Anderson’s Paul Wright tied the game at 51 each. A quick timeout by the Beavers was all they needed as they would come back and score five unanswered points to take the lead 56-51 with 12 seconds left in regulation. Both teams would throw in one more bucket apiece for the final of 58-53.

 

Leading the Beavers on the day was senior Brad Boyles (Berne, Ind./South Adams) with 17 points and four rebounds. Sophomore Scott Bergman (Elmore/Woodmore) chipped in 16 points. Freshman Michael Anthony (Ohio City/Delphos St. John’s) threw in 12 points to finish the double figure scoring.

Bluffton shot 53 percent for the contest (57 percent 1st half) compared to the Raven’s 39 percent. The Beavers led in rebounding with 31 boards to Anderson’s 23 rebounds

Beavers in the Heartland Conference
TEAM STATISTICS
   The Beavers currently rank first in assists (16.06 per game) and rebounding defense (27.6 per game). Bluffton is 2nd in the league in field goal percentage at .479 percent. The team ranks third in rebounding margin by out rebounding opponents (+3.9) a game and assist/turnover ratio at 1.08.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
   Senior Brad Boyles currently leads Bluffton in scoring this season and ranks 3rd in the HCAC with 15.6 points per game. He also is the Beavers and the league’s most consistent shooter converting .636 percent of his field goals. He currently ranks 8th in the country in field goal percentage among NCAA Division III basketball.
   Sophomore Scott Bergman currently ranks 11th in the HCAC in scoring with 13.3 points per game (2nd on team). Bergman leads the Beavers in both 3-pointers made with 33 (8th in HCAC) and 3-point field goal percentage .393 (8th in HCAC). He also ranks sixth in the league (leads Bluffton) in defensive rebounding, averaging 3.76 per game.
   Sophomore Brett Mitchell is fourth in the conference in assists by averaging 2.80 per game. Simeon Talley leads the Beavers in assists with 43 and is 8th in the HCAC in assists per game, averaging 2.53.