Beavers Survive Ravens in Back-and-Forth Battle

Bluffton University survived the Anderson University men's basketball team with a 63-60 victory during Saturday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) back-and-forth battle in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.

"Whereas on Wednesday I felt that we did not compete hard, [Saturday] we played very hard," Coach Owen Handy said. "We challenged the guys the past couple of days, and I am proud of how we responded."

Throughout the contest, there were a total of 11 lead changes and eight ties. Five lead changes occurred in the final 10 minutes.

The Ravens (10-11, 7-7) committed 20 turnovers while the Beavers (12-9, 8-6) turned the ball over 11 times. Bluffton outscored Anderson 23-11 off turnovers.

"Unfortunately, you can't turn the ball over 20 times in a close game against a good team and expect to win, and that is what we did. There's not much more to say about it. If we had done a better job of protecting possession, we probably would have come away with a win."

Maurice Knight led the Ravens with 18 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks. Malik Laffoon tallied 16 points and two blocks. Larry Johnson notched nine points. Austin Lyons contributed eight points. Michael Rogers scored five points while Jake Gudorf and Tate Cooper each rounded out Anderson's scoring effort with two points each.

The Ravens are scheduled for two HCAC road matchups next week. Anderson clashes with Hanover College (15-6, 9-5) on Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Hanover. The Ravens then challenge Franklin College (14-7, 10-4) on Saturday at 3 p.m.