Game stats in attachment at bottom of this story.
The Bluffton University men's basketball team struggled with its shooting in a 74-62 loss at Franklin College on Saturday, Dec. 11, 2010. The Beavers dropped to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in the Heartland Conference, while Franklin improved to 4-5 on the season and 2-2 in the HCAC.
Franklin jumped out to a 6-2 lead over the visitors less than two minutes in before a 6-2 Bluffton run knotted the game at eight with 16:02 to play in the first period following a Will Pope (Somerville/Preble Shawnee) layin. The Grizzlies wasted no time in responding, bolting to a 15-8 lead on the strength of four Zach Merschbrock points.
An 8-2 Bluffton spurt that was powered by a pair of hoops from junior post Brent Farley (Lima/Shawnee) closed the gap to a single point, but Franklin pushed the spread back to five points (23-18) on the heels of a Gunner Erwin dunk. Farley and sophomore Josh Fisher (Rockford/Parkway) both scored, making it 23-22 before the home team ended the stanza with an 8-4 push which made the score 31-26 at the break.
Although Bluffton converted nine free throws during the opening stages of the second half, the Beavers hit just one shot from the field in the first 9:15 of period two. A three-point play by Franklin standout Will Conoley made the score 47-37 at the 11:08 mark. Mychal Hill (London/Jonathan Alder) dropped in 10 straight counters for Bluffton, but the Grizzlies kept pace for a 59-49 advantage with 6:43 to play in the game.
The home team continued to answer each Bluffton score as the Grizzlies improved to 2-2 in the Heartland Conference with a 74-62 win. Bluffton managed just eight baskets in the second half, shooting 29.6 percent from the field.
Mychal Hill led the Beavers with 24 points and two steals on 12-of-14 shooting at the free throw line and 5-for-10 from the field. Brent Farley and Josh Fisher chipped in 12 points apiece. Freshmen Dustin Kinn (Alvada/New Riegel) and Will Pope pulled down six and five rebounds, respectively.
Franklin hit 28-of-57 from the field (49.1 percent) compared to 20-of-52 (38.5 percent) for the Beavers. The visitors went 2-of-10 from deep, while Franklin made 3-of-9 on the night. Bluffton finished 20-of-26 at the line (76.9 percent). Franklin had a slim 34-33 edge on the glass and turned it over three fewer times (16-13).
Bluffton is off until next Friday, December 17, when the Beavers host OSU-Lima. The contest in Founders Hall is slated for 7 p.m.
