November 19, 2011

ST LOUIS, Mo. - The Bluffton University men's basketball team opened its 2011-12 campaign with a thrilling 79-76 OT win over Webster University on Saturday, Nov. 19. The Beavers stand 1-0 after knocking off a Webster squad that went 20-7 a season ago.

Senior Brent Farley hit three free throws in the first minute of overtime to give Bluffton a 71-68 lead with 4:02 to play. Back-to-back Roman Robinson buckets put the home team on top before senior Mychal Hill's (London/Jonathan Alder) three-pointer made the score 76-75 with 39 ticks left. A Webster free throw knotted the score, but Hill drilled a triple at the buzzer for a 79-76 OT victory in the season opener.

Sophomore Dustin Kinn (Alvada/New Riegel) snapped a 6-0 Webster run to open the game when he scored at the 18:37 mark. Kinn continued to chip away at the lead and when he dropped in his fourth straight hoop, Bluffton tied it up at eight. Dillon Long (Rockford/Parkway) and Steve Swick (Elida) added baskets as the Beavers trailed by one at the 11:22 mark.

A 10-2 Bluffton run pushed the visitors to a 28-23 lead when Dillon Long followed a Josh Johnson (Ottawa-Glandorf) triple with a free throw and duece. Johnson knocked down a pair of charity tosses and Webster missed three putbacks and two free throws in the final 10 seconds of the half as Bluffton took a 30-28 lead to the break.

Kinn opened period two like he started the game, hitting three shots in the first three minutes for a 38-34 lead over the tournament hosts. Hill and Johnson deep balls gave Bluffton a 46-40 advantage just two minutes later. With the game knotted at 51, Kinn went back to work and he hit twice from in close for a 55-51 edge.

The Beavers felt good when Johnson's fourth trifecta of the night made the score 68-65 with 23 seconds on the clock, but Dietrick Scooter answered with a three of his own at the end of regulation, setting the stage for Hill's buzzer beater in overtime.

Dropping in a career-high 21 points on 10-of-16 shooting from the field was sophomore post Dustin Kinn. He also collected seven rebounds. Josh Johnson equaled his career best with 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting from distance. Seniors Hill and Farley checked in with 12 points apiece. Farley ripped down a game-high 12 boards in the victory.

Bluffton stuggled from behind the arc in the first half (1-of-9), but the Beavers drained 8-of-14 from deep in the final 25 minutes on Saturday night. The Beavers turned it over three more times (18-15), while Webster pulled down three more rebounds (42-39). The Gorlocks hit just 39.7 percent (27-of-68) from the field, compared to 45.9 percent (28-of-61) for Bluffton.

The Beavers jump right back into action on Sunday, Nov. 20, when they meet Rust College at Webster. The contest is slated for 3 p.m. Ohio time.

-BEAVERS-