Robinson collects first double-double but Beavers fall to Yellow Jackets

November 20, 2001


Game statistics


Bluffton College junior Lyndsey Robinson collected her first career double-double, but it wasn't enough as the Beavers fell to Cedarville University 83-60 Tuesday night in Founders Hall.

The game was Bluffton's home opener, and BC played well in spurts but saw their overall slip to 0-3, while Cedarville improves to 5-1.

Junior Kristin Helvey scored a team-high 14 points, while junior Michelle Ray added seven points and eight boards.

Bluffton led 6-2 early in the game, but at that point the Yellow Jackets went on a 17-2 run to take control of the game. BC trailed 42-23 at halftime and were down by as many as 26 points in the second half.

Cedarville's Kirsten Rossotti led all scorers with 22 points and went over the 1,000 point total for her career.

Bluffton will travel to Capital University on Saturday.

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Game Preview

The series
Bluffton leads the all-time series 20-14, but Cedarville has won the last two meetings, including a 69-63 decision last season at Cedarville. From 1981 to 1988 the Beavers dominated this series, winning 13 of 14 meetings. The series has tightened since then, however, with the Yellow Jackets holding a slim 9-7 advantage in the last 16 games.

The coaches
Both teams have new head coaches this season. Bluffton is led by first year head coach Cathy Bonner, while Cedarville is led by head coach Kirk Martin. Both these coaches won high school state championships prior to joining the collegiate coaching ranks. Bonner won hers at Paradise Christian H.S. in New Mexico, while Martin won his at Southeastern H.S. near Cedarville.

Season records
Bluffton is now 0-2 after suffering two losses at the Penn State Behrend Tip-Off Tournament last weekend.

Cedarville is now 4-1 and has won three straight games. The Yellow Jackets won the Grace College Classic last weekend.

Last season
Nov. 20, 2000: Bluffton led 45-44 with 6:43 left in the game, but Cedarville pulled away down the stretch to claim a 69-63 win over the Beavers at Cedarville.

Bluffton shot 49% from the floor and limited Cedarville to a 2-21 performance from three-point range, but BC turned the ball over a season-high 30 times and committed a season-high 26 fouls.

With 10 points, Melissa James was one of two BC players to score in double figures, while Cedarville had three players score in double figures but none return this season.

The players
Bluffton returns five letterwinners this season and one returning starter, that being junior guard Kristin Helvey, who leads the Beavers with 10.5 points per game, six assists and five steals so far this season. Juniors Melissa James (8.5 ppg, 6.0 rpg) and Lyndsey Robinson (8.0 ppg, 5.5 ppg) rank first and second on the team in rebounding.

Cedarville returns six players who saw action against Bluffton last season, including co-captain Pattie Schryer, but the biggest boost to the Yellow Jacket squad this season could be the return of 6-0 post player Kirsten Rossotti, who did not play last season but was the American Mideast Conference Freshman of the Year in 1998-99 after averaging 15.5 points per game. She is also a co-captain this season and is Cedarville's all-time free throw percentage leader with a .789 accuracy. Her 21.6 points per game and 9.0 rebounds per game this season leads the team and she was named the AMC Player of the Week last week after earning MVP honors of the Grace College Tournament.

Crowded in the paint
If the starting lineups remain the same, four post players could start tonight, three of which stand six feet tall or better. For Bluffton those two centers are 5-10 junior Lyndsey Robinson and 6-1 freshman Cara Young. Cedarville counters with 6-0 senior Kirsten Rossotti and 6-0 sophomore Molly Earley.

Statistical matchups
Playing on their home court tonight should help Bluffton improve in a key statistic: shooting percentage. So far this season the Beavers are hitting only 30.5% of their field total goal attempts and just 26.7% of their 3-point attempts. Their opponents, meanwhile, are shooting 48.4% from the field and 40.0% from trey land, which are nearly equal to the numbers that Cedarville has produced so far this season.

Around the HCAC
The season's first HCAC game highlights the schedule from around the league tonight as Franklin visits defending HCAC champion Defiance. Three other HCAC teams are in action tonights besides Bluffton as Hanover travels to Earlham, Manchester hosts St. Mary's of Notre Dame and Transylvania travels to Indiana University-Southeast. Tomorrow night Mount St. Joseph hosts Rose Hulman.