| Special to: The Bluffton News (Mar. 6), The Witmarsum (Mar. 14), Alumni e-newsletter (Mar. 4), but you read it here first. |
A season of improvement came to end Feb. 25 as the Bluffton College women’s basketball team saw its season halted with a 67-44 loss at Mount St. Joseph in the first round of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament.
Bluffton finishes the season with an overall record of 2-23 and a 1-13 mark in the HCAC, but first year head coach Amanda Curtis can look back at the 2002-03 campaign knowing that her squad improved in many ways and set the foundation for a rebuilding process for BC women’s basketball.
Six Bluffton seniors saw their careers come a close at Mount St. Joseph as Kirsten Siller, Paula Fry, Melissa James, Liesel Hughett, Heather Demery, and Lyndsey Robinson suited up for the final time.
James played in 102 varsity games while at Bluffton, which tied the record held by Jenny Etzler Fledderjohnn. James played in every varsity game possible during her four-year career and led the team in scoring this season with 11.4 points per game. Robinson (10.1 ppg) led the team in rebounding with 7.0 boards per contest.
Feb. 25: BC 44, MSJ 67
Bluffton was defeated at Mount St. Joseph 67-44 on Feb. 25 in the first round of the HCAC tournament.
Bluffton gained an early 6-4 edge over the Lions on a three-point field goal by Lindsay Bacon with 14:07 remaining in the first half. Bacon struck again on the Beavers next possession sinking another three-pointer and extending the Beavers lead to five. The Lions cut the Beavers lead by scoring on their next two possessions, however, gaining the lead which they would not give up with 9:44 remaining in the first half.
The Lions extended their lead to eight points by the close of the first half and, although three free throws by Karen Harris cut the Lions lead to five early in the second half, the Beavers played much of the second half trailing by double digits.
Bluffton posted their season high in free throw percentage in the game shooting .824 percent from the line. Their previous season high was .800 which they reached twice during the 2002-2003 season. Bluffton shot only .255 from the field, which was their second-lowest output of the season.
Robinson fell two points shy of recording her fifth double-double of the season but was still among the leaders for Bluffton scoring eight points and recording 10 rebounds. James scored nine points for Bluffton while Lindsay Bacon added eight.
