Bluffton College put together a strong comeback midway through the second half, but #1 seed Defiance College pulled away late to hand BC a 64-49 loss in the semi-finals of Heartland Conference tournament Friday night in Defiance.
Bluffton, the #4 seed in the tournament, sees their season come to an end with an overall record of 12-14, while Defiance (21-4) advances to play Franklin in the HCAC championship Saturday afternoon.
After falling behind 19-2 to begin the game, the Beavers went on an 18-6 run midway through the first half and found themselves trailing 33-22 at halftime.
Defiance expanded that lead to 19 points early in the second half, but BC mounted a comeback that saw BC outscore the HCAC's regular season champion 16-3 to get to within six points at 48-42 with 6:24 left in the game.
Eight straight points by Defiance's Lea Barrera, however, swung the momentum back in favor of the Yellow Jackets, who led by no less than 10 points for the final three minutes of the game. During that stretch the Yellow Jackets didn't make a field goal but connected on 10 free throws.
Bluffton outrebounded Defiance 43-37 and held the hosts to a 31.8% shooting clip from the floor, but the Beavers committed 29 turnovers (20 in the first half) and shot 32.6% from the floor themselves.
Freshman Karen Harris scored a season-high 11 points, which tied senior Jen Bear for team scoring honors. Bear added 10 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. Seniors Elizabeth Snavely and Kristy Crall both added eight points.
Barrera led Defiance with 18 points and five assists.
