Bluffton, Ohio – Unable to overcome an early second-half wave of scoring by the host team, the Transylvania women's basketball team endured a 77-62 loss against the Bluffton University Beavers at the Sommer Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Pioneers could not withstand a warm shooting day by Bluffton, which shot 51.7 percent from the field on the afternoon. Transylvania's usual offensive dose of 3-point production was in short supply as the Pioneers shot just 5-for-22 from downtown.

Junior forward Rachel Cox led the Pioneers with a double-double of 20 points and 10 rebounds, while freshman guard Ashton Woodard led all Transy reserves in scoring with nine points.

Bluffton quickly raced out to a quick start as it knocked down 11 of its 13 field goal attempts in the first quarter to amass a 24-17 lead. Kline sent in a buzzer-beating triple to deny the Beavers a double-digit lead entering the second quarter.

The second quarter was Transy's best of the afternoon, as it neutralized Bluffton defensively while creating consistent good inside looks. Transylvania outscored Bluffton in the second quarter, 17 to 16 to trim Bluffton's halftime lead to 40-34.

Bluffton regained control in the third quarter with pinpoint jumpshooting to take a 56-43 lead after three periods of play. The Beavers relied on their inside attack to grow the lead to as much as 19 points before the Pioneers edged away at their lead down the stretch for the 77-62 final.

The Pioneers fell to 15-6 overall, and 9-5 in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference standings. Bluffton meanwhile improved to 17-4 overall and 11-3 in the HCAC, good for second place in the current tournament picture.

Freshman guard Shelby Boyle had 13 points in the game as she hit on all three of her 3-point attempts. The Pioneers connected on all 11 of their free throw attempts while Bluffton nailed 10 of 12 attempts.

Transylvania will look to shake off a two-game losing streak on Wednesday when it visits the Mount St. Joseph University Lions in Cincinnati, Ohio. Tipoff between the Pioneers and Lions is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

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