Box Score Bluffton, Ohio – The Transylvania men's basketball team endured a cold-shooting night en route to a 69-53 defeat to the Bluffton University Beavers on Friday evening at the Sommer Center.
The Beavers enjoyed a potent night from behind the three-point line to drop the Pioneers to 6-8 overall on the season and 6-3 against Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference opponents. Bluffton moved to 11-3 overall and 8-3 against HCAC opponents.
Lucas Gentry led the Pioneers with 14 points on 6 for 11 shooting from the field and added seven rebounds and two assists in defeat.
A closely-contested tussle throughout most of the first half between Transylvania and Bluffton took shape as the Pioneers were red-hot on two-pointers but struggled to find their three-point rhythm as the Pioneers began the game 7 for 8 from inside the perimeter but 1 for 12 from outside.
The Beavers matched the Pioneers in starting the game 6 for 14 from the field overall, but hit three early triples to keep pace with Transylvania.
The Pioneers claimed momentum with a 9-0 run behind seven straight points from Gentry to surge towards a 19-15 advantage. Bluffton tied up the game at 19-19 before Michael Jefferson scored on a layup to put the Pioneers back in front at 21-19 with five minutes left in the half.
Bluffton then went on the most critical run of the game, hitting five straight three-pointers to grab its first double-digit lead of the game to take a 34-22 lead into the halftime break. Bluffton shot 8 for 14 from three-point range in the first half compared to a 1 for 12 mark for the Pioneers from downtown.
The Beavers' offense remained consistent in the second half as four different Bluffton players scored in double digits on the evening. Duce Ralls scored on a runner with 11:22 to go in regulation to slice the Transy deficit down to 12 points but the Beavers answered with a 10-1 run over the next three minutes to put the game out of reach.
Bluffton finished the game 10 of 23 from three-point range while the Pioneers mustered 2 of 21 shooting from outside.
Transylvania and Bluffton will rematch tomorrow at the home of the Pioneers in Lexington. The Senior Day game for Transylvania is scheduled to tip-off at approximately 5:30 p.m. tomorrow at the Beck Center.
For more on Transylvania men's basketball, follow @TransyHoops on Twitter
