By Jordan Marbaugh, sports information assistant

Stats: http://staging.bluffton.edu/sports/womensbasketball/2012/01-25-wb.htm

The Bluffton University women defeated Earlham College 69-61 on Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012. The Beavers improved to 7-11 and 5-6 in HCAC with their school-record fifth straight Heartland Conference win. Earlham slipped to 3-15 overall and 1-10 in the HCAC.

Bluffton jumped out to a 6-0 lead just 41 seconds into the game on threes by Rachel Daman (Defiance/Tinora) and Brittany Stegmaier (Garfield/Trinity). At the 17-minute mark, the Beavers pushed the lead to 11-4. Bluffton continued to pour it on with a 12-4 run for a 23-8 advantage with 7:21 remaining in the first half.

Another Daman three at the 4:31 mark gave the home team a lead of 30-15. Earlham heated up from the floor and closed the first period on a 13-2 spurt, trimming the Beaver lead to 32-28 at halftime.

Daman and Stegmaier opened the second half just like they opened the game with back-to-back threes, pushing the home team's lead back to 10 at the 19:07 mark. Earlham stayed within striking distance as the Bluffton lead was seven with 15:35 left in the game.

A layup by Mikayla Coburn (McGuffey/Upper Scioto Valley) at the 11:25 mark made it a 13-point spread (48-35). A layup by Earlham's Jalissa Watt closed the gap to 50-43 as Earlham went on an 8-2 run with 8:17 left. With 2:33 to play, Earlham cut the gap to six at 58-52.

The teams exchanged a couple baskets and with 50 seconds left Bluffton was still up by a half dozen. Brittany Lewis (Springfield/Shawnee) stepped to the line with 45 ticks remaining and knocked down both free throws. Earlham hit a three and then fouled Alicia Amis (Woodstock/Mechanicsburg) with 20 seconds left. Amis split the pair, making it a seven-point game (66-59).

Earlham answered with a quick layup and fouled Lewis again. The senior stepped to the line and calmly knocked down both free ones, sealing the 69-61 win for the Beavers.

Stegmaier continued her recent string of double digits with 16 points and four rebounds. Daman dropped in 14 and had four assists. Lewis chipped in with nine points, four assists and four rebounds. Amis added seven points, six rebounds and two helpers. Kylee Burkholder (West Unity/Hilltop) came off the bench and grabbed eight boards while scoring four points. Also off the bench, Coburn had six points and grabbed four boards.

Bluffton hit 20-of-53 (37.7 percent) from the field, compared to 25-of-63 (39.7 percent) for the Quakers. The Beavers connected on five more treys (9-4) while also taking advantage of the free throw line. Bluffton finished 20-of-26 (76.9 percent) at the stripe, while Earlham went to the line just 10 times (7-of-10). The home team had a slim 39-38 edge on the glass.

The Beavers are back in action on Saturday, Jan. 28, when they travel to Franklin for a 2 p.m. tip. The Grizzlies stand 17-1 overall and tied with Hanover for first place in the HCAC at 10-1.