By Keisha Holtsberry, sports information assistant

The Bluffton University men’s basketball team fell to Defiance College  on Wednesday, Jan. 2. The Beavers slipped to 4-8 overall and 0-5 in the HCAC, while Defiance improved to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in the Heartland Conference.

The Beavers had a solid first half and controlled the scoreboard for a majority of the period. Junior Will Pope (Somerville/Preble Shawnee) dumped in a layup for the first tie of the game. Twenty seconds later, junior Josh Johnson (Ottawa-Glandorf) buried a triple try, giving the Beavers the lead. The Yellow Jackets wasted no time in tying the game back up less than a minute later. Junior Dustin Kinn (Alvada/New Riegel) put the Beavers on top by two at the 15:56 mark, but eight seconds later Defiance again tied the game.

The Yellow Jackets went up by three for a few minutes before sophomore Ryan Ebbeskotte (Fort Jennings/Delphos Jefferson) and Kinn both converted to put the Beavers back in the lead. The visitors stayed in control until late in the stanza with their largest lead being five after a three-pointer from senior Tyler Neal (Bluffton). Defiance used a 10-2 run to take the lead, but Johnson dialed long distance with 19 seconds left in the half for a 28-28 tie at the break.

Defiance wasted no time taking contol to start the second half. The home team went up 40-31 at the 16:13 mark and kept the lead for the entire half, outscoring the Beavers 34-18 for a 62-46 final score.

The Beavers were led by Kinn who had 11 points and 11 rebounds for his first career double-double. Johnson added nine points from three triples. Freshman Thayne Recker (Arlington) pulled down six rebounds.

Bluffton went 18-of-57 (31.6 percent) from the field, while Defiance finished 23-of-50 (46.0 percent). The Beavers were 4-of-13 (30.8 percent) from behind the arc, compared to 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) for the home team.

A commanding 45-28 Bluffton advantage on the boards was offset by eight more turnovers (13-5) and a miserable 6-of-17 (35.3 percent) shooting night at the stripe.

The Beavers jump back into HCAC action on Saturday, Jan. 5, with a trip to Hanover College. The contest with the Panthers is slated for 4 p.m. following the women's matchup.

Stats http://www.bluffton.edu/sports/mensbasketball/2013/01-02-mb.htm