By Keisha Holtsberry, sports information assistant

Stats: http://www.bluffton.edu/sports/womensbasketball/2012/01-21-wb.htm

The Bluffton University women defeated the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (RHIT) 70-62 on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2012. The Beavers improved to 6-11 and 4-6 in the HCAC with their fourth consecutive conference victory which tied the school mark set during the 1999-2000 campaign. Rose-Hulman fell to 5-12 overall and 3-7 in the HCAC.

RHIT went up 5-0 in the first minute, but the Beavers came back and tied the game at the 17:23 mark. Junior Lauren Hutton (New Riegel) dropped in a jumper off a pass from senior Brittany Lewis (Springfield/Shawnee) before senior Alicia Amis (Woodstock/Mechanicsburg) tied the game with a three-pointer.

The Beavers went on a 7-2 scoring run that put the home team up by five at the 13:30 mark. Junior Francena Tate (Fostoria/St. Wendelin) set her feet and buried a jumper for a 14-9 advantage. RHIT responded with an 11-3 binge for a 20-17 lead four minutes later.

Thanks to a layup by Lewis and two foul shots from fellow senior Rachel Daman (Defiance/Tinora), the Beavers once again took the lead with 8:23 left in the first half. Bluffton went on another scoring run (8-0) over the next five minutes, extending the lead to nine. Three seniors contributed points during the run. Lewis hit two chip shots and a foul shot, Daman put in a layup and Stegmaier added a freebie. The half ended with the Engineers cutting the Bluffton lead to five, 29-24.

The Beavers opened up the scoring in the second half with a hoop and harm by Hutton. At the 18:28 mark, the home team stretched its lead to 10 following another layup from Lewis. During the next five minutes the Engineers stayed within 10 points, but at the 13:04 mark Stegmaier drilled a three-pointer for a 12-point cushion.

The Beavers took off on another scoring run (10-6) over the next three and a half minutes. With two foul shots from Daman the Beavers stretched their lead to 18, the largest spread of the game. The Engineers pulled within six following a three-point barrage by Rose sophomore Heather Finnell before eight makes at the line from the Bluffton seniors in the last two minutes made the final score 70-62.

Stegmaier led four Beavers in double digits with 18 points on 3-of-8 shooting from distance and 5-of-6 at the line. Lewis followed with 16 while Hutton and Daman added 15 and 10, respectively. Hutton pulled down a game-high nine rebounds. Amis grabbed six of her own. RHIT was led by sophomore Heather Finnell with 23 points on 5-of-9 shooting from outside the arc.

The Beavers were 22-for-49 (44.9 percent) from the field, while RHIT went 23-of-56 (41.1 percent). Bluffton hit 20-of-29 (69.0 percent) at the foul line, while RHIT finished 10-of-13 (76.9 percent) from the stripe. Rose pulled down five more rebounds (36-31), but the Engineers also turned it over five more times (14-9).

Bluffton returns to action on Wednesday, Jan. 25 when it takes on Earlham College. The contest in Founders Hall is slated for 7:30 p.m.