Beavers place second in Holiday Tournament

By Scott VanEman, SID assistant
December 30, 2003

The Bluffton College men's basketball (6-4) team fell to Goshen College (16-1) 68-47 in the championship game of the McDonald's of Bluffton Holiday Tournament.

Goshen set the tone for the game from tip-off with a three-point basketball and a 0-3 lead, a lead they would not surrender the entire game. The Beavers found themselves at the short end of a 27-19 halftime score that would later expand to as much as 21 points for the Maple Leafs.

Bluffton managed only to shoot 31 percent from the field on the day compared to Goshen 's 46 percent mark. The Maple Leafs also out-matched the Beavers from beyond the arc with a 32 percent mark to the Beavers nine percent. Goshen also performed better at the foul line converting 75 percent of their shots while Bluffton converted 52 percent.

Leading Bluffton on the day was senior Brad Boyles ( Berne , Ind. /South Adams ) who scored 12 points before fouling out early in the second half. Sophomore Eric Sweet (Ottawa/Ottawa-Glandorf) added 10 points on the day while sophomore Simeon Talley (Columbus/Centennial) notched nine points and five assists. Bluffton's leading scorer Scott Bergman (Elmore/Woodmore) was held to just nine points on the day. Both Boyles and Sweet were named to the All-Tournament team for Bluffton.

Bluffton will be back in action at home on Saturday against Adrian College. Tip off is scheduled for 1 p.m.  The women's team will play Lake Erie at 3 p.m.