The Bluffton College men’s basketball team tied two school records this season but saw their Heartland Conference tournament run end sooner than hoped for last week as Anderson University upset BC in a first round tourney game on Feb. 20 in Founders Hall.
Bluffton finished just one game out of first place in this season’s HCAC race and carried a #4 seed into the HCAC tournament. Anderson, the #5 seed, won nine of their last 10 games, including their first round upset over BC, as the Ravens were unquestionably the league’s best-finishing squad.
Ending the season with a 16-9 final record, the Beavers tied a school record with 10 wins in Founders Hall and also equaled Head Coach Guy Neal’s highest ever single-season win total. In addition, the 16 wins tied the third best win total in the 86 seasons of BC basketball.
All-HCAC selections and final statistics will be released at a later date.
Feb. 20 vs. Anderson
BC saw their season come to an end last Tuesday night as the Beavers fell to Anderson University 93-64 in the first round of the HCAC tournament.
AU held Bluffton to a 24.1% shooting clip in the second half and went on a 19-3 run with around 11 minutes left in the game to go up by 29 points and put the game out of reach.
Bluffton took a 28-27 lead with 9:40 to go in the first half, but it would be their last lead of the game as the Ravens dominated the boards, outrebounding BC 41-24. Bluffton tied a season low with just eight turnovers but were good on just nine of 28 3-point shots, while AU was 10-20 from beyond the arc.
Four Bluffton players hit for double figures, led by junior Rod Overmyer with 21 points that included four 3-pointers (all in the first half). Senior Chad Cramer and freshman Scott Remaklus both added 13 points and junior Travis Elsass chipped in 10.
Bluffton seniors Ben Coole, Chad Cramer, Jeremy Roberts and Chris Sheldon along with junior Travis Elsass all played their final game in a BC uniform. Roberts did not play in the game due to a leg injury that has sidelined him since December 28.
