Box Score
Ohio Wesleyan 54, Bluffton 51

Sophomore guard Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg) scored 6 points and freshman wing Kelsey Wolfe (Apple Creek/Waynedale) added 3 more as Ohio Wesleyan scored the final 9 points of the game to take a non-conference win over Bluffton on Wednesday in Bluffton.

The Beavers had taken a 51-45 lead when Sammy Shardo sank a pair of free throws with 5:27 left in regulation time.

Wolfe buried a 3-pointer on Ohio Wesleyan's ensuing possession to halve the deficit, and Schipfer scored on a putback to make it 51-50 with 3:50 remaining.

The Bishop defense took over from there, forcing turnovers on 5 of Bluffton's next 7 possessions, the last of which ended when Schipfer stole the ball from Maddie Fitzpatrick and knocked down a jumper for a 52-51 Ohio Wesleyan lead with :20 remaining.

Bluffton's Peyton Henry drew a foul and headed to the line with :15 left, but she missed both free throws.  Morgan Smith got the offensive rebound, and after a timeout, the Beavers got a look at the go-ahead hoop, but Brianna Gillig's lay-up didn't fall and Schipfer snagged the defensive board and was fouled.

Schipfer drained a pair of free throws with :07 remaining, and the Bishop defense did not allow the Beavers to get off a potential game-tying shot.

The Beavers had built a 16-9 lead on Fitzpatrick's 3-point play with 2:22 left in the first period, only to see the Bishops assemble a 9-0 run midway through the second quarter, getting a pair of hoops from senior post Cierra Joiner (Centerburg) and a Wolfe 3-pointer on the way to a 29-24 lead.

Bluffton came back to tie the game at 31 at the intermission, and matters were still tied at 44 after a Schipfer free throw early in the fourth quarter before the Beavers went on a 7-1 burst that included a 3-point play by Gillig, a lay-in from Smith, and the Shardo free throws with 5:27 to play.

Joiner led the Bishops with 15 points and 4 assists.  Schipfer grabbed a team-leading 12 rebounds.

Gillig had 16 points and 13 rebounds for the Beavers.

Box Score