Dalton Christopher
Assistant Athletic Director - Communications & Media
dchristopher@transy.edu

LEXINGTON, KY - The top seeded Transylvania University defeated eighth seed Bluffton in the quarterfinals of the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament on Saturday at the Clive M. Beck Center, 58-52.

Sierra Kemelgor scored first for the Pioneers, responding to two early baskets from Bluffton. After another drive from Bluffton, Sadie Wurth found a scoring opportunity in the paint to cut the lead to two, 6-4. Just over a minute later, Wurth scored the first three-pointer of the evening for the Pioneers, giving Transylvania their first lead of the quarter, 8-6. The two teams would exchange field goals, but Chloe McKnight's lay up in the paint would give the Pioneers a 16-12 lead after the first quarter. Emilie Teall scored a three-pointer to start the second quarter for Transylvania, extending the lead for the Pioneers to seven, followed by a drive to the basket from Riley Flinn on the next possession. With less than five minutes remaining in the first half, Flinn scored a three-pointer to give the Pioneers their largest lead of the first half, 28-16. Kemelgor scored on a tip-in to extend that lead on the next trip down the court. Transylvania took a 30-18 lead into the halftime break. 

Bluffton started the third quarter on a run, cutting the lead down to four, 32-28, halfway through the third quarter. McKnight stopped the run, scoring in the paint, followed by consecutive field goals from Wurth, to get the Pioneers back up to an eight point lead. Flinn scored on the final offensive possession for Transylvania to end the third quarter with a 40-32 lead. Teall scored the first field goal of the fourth quarter, another three-pointer, for the Pioneers. Another field goal in the paint from McKnight and another three-pointer from Kemelgor pushed the lead back to double digits for Transylvania, but Bluffton would continue to battle, scoring consecutive field goals to cut the lead back down to five with less than five minutes remaining. McKnight scored another basket in the paint late for the Pioneers, followed by free throws from Samantha Cornelison and Wurth to seal the 58-52 victory for the Pioneers down the stretch. 

Key Stats

- Transylvania outscored Bluffton in second chance opportunities and points off turnovers. 
- Transylvania forced eight steals from 13 turnovers from Bluffton. 

Up Next

Transylvania advances to the semifinals of the HCAC Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday, February 28th at the Clive M. Beck Center. #1 Transylvania will host #4 Anderson at 5:00 p.m.

Transylvania University is a proud member of NCAA Division III and the HCAC. To keep up to date with all of Transylvania Athletics, check out our website at www.transysports.com and follow @TransySports on Instagram.