The series
The all-time series is tied 5-5, with all five of Bluffton’s wins coming in the past four seasons.
The coaches
Bluffton is led by first year head coach Cathy Bonner, while MSJ is led by fourth year head coach Melissa Patterson.
Season records
Bluffton is now 0-7 overall and 0-2 in the HCAC, while The Mount is 3-5 overall and 0-3 in the HCAC. The Lions won their first three games this season but have not won in their last five outings, including the last three all against league competition.
Last season
Both teams won on their home court, with Bluffton winning their first HCAC game of the 2000-01 season here in Founders Hall on January 3 by a 66-58 final score. MSJ entered the game with the league’s top rated defense, but gave up 66 points to the Beavers, which marked the second-highest point total allowed by the Lion defense at that point in the season. MSJ took an 84-54 win on their home court later that month.
Last game
Today is the first action for both teams since December 5, when Bluffton lost 78-44 at Adrian College (Mich.) and The Mount was defeated at home by HCAC foe Transylvania University 63-49.
Adrian held the Beavers to a 17.9% shooting percentage in the first half and jumped out to a 26-2 lead after the first 13 minutes of the game. Sophomore guard Karen Harris hit two first-half 3-pointers within 50 seconds of each other and shared team scoring honors with junior Heather Demery as both players ended the game with nine points each. Junior Melissa James added seven points and a team-high seven rebounds.
The players
Bluffton lost their top six scorers from last season’s squad, which finished 12-14 overall and advanced to the HCAC tournament semi-finals. Mount St. Joseph returns seven letterwinners and 10 newcomers that fourth-year Head Coach Melissia Patterson calls her deepest recruiting class during her tenure at the Mount. The Lions finished 8-17 overall last season and 3-9 in the HCAC.
BC junior Melissa James leads Bluffton with 10.0 points per game and 20 assists so far this season. In league games, her scoring average has gone up to 15.0 ppg, however, which ranks 7th in the HCAC. She also ranks 7th in rebounding (7.0 rpg) and is the league’s #2 assist leader (5.0 apg), behind Bluffton’s Karen Harris, who leads the HCAC with 5.5 apg. Junior Lyndsey Robinson ranks 9th in the conference with 12.0 ppg in league games, and her 7.0 rpg ties James for 7th best in the league.
The Lions are led by Virginia Grace (12.8 ppg, 10.8 rpg, 12 steals), but it’s Christina Brown who has averaged the most points in HCAC games with 11.0 ppg. She ranks first in the league in 3-point shooting percentage (.583, 7-12).
HCAC rankings
Neither team has been able to get on track offensively so far in conference games this season, as the Beavers and Lions rank at the bottom of the HCAC in scoring. However, both teams have shown a spark at the defensive end. Bluffton ranks third in the league in steals (10.5 spg), while MSJ ranks fourth in scoring defense (66.3 ppg), and is outrebounding their opponents by over four boards per game.
Around the HCAC
This contest is the only league game on the Heartland Conference schedule this weekend, and the final league game until January 2. Four other HCAC teams are in action Saturday, though, as Anderson travels to Adrian, Defiance hosts Wittenberg and Manchester hosts Goshen. Franklin is competing at the Millikin Tournament this weekend.
