Men’s Basketball Advances Past Bluffton to HCAC Tournament Semifinals
The second-seeded Anderson University men’s basketball team advanced past seventh-seeded Bluffton University 103-89 during Saturday’s Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament Quarterfinal on Saturday in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
The second-seeded Anderson University men's basketball team advanced past seventh-seeded Bluffton University 103-89 during Saturday's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) Tournament Quarterfinal on Saturday in O.C. Lewis Gymnasium.
Anderson (17-9) is set to face off with third-seeded Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (17-9) in the HCAC Tournament Semifinals on Friday, Feb. 27 at 7 p.m. in Lexington, Ky.
The Ravens led Bluffton (9-17) by a score of 57-41 entering halftime. Bluffton outscored Anderson 48-46 in the second half. Anderson held a 75-46 lead with 15 minutes, 12 seconds remaining in the half.
"I was pleased with how we played in the beginning of the game, building the lead that we established early in the second half, but we sure don't do a very good job of closing games out," Coach Carter Collins said. "Our energy dips significantly any time we think that we have a game in hand, and we almost always allow the other team to get back in the thick of it. I'm not sure what the solution is - I think it's something that the players are going to have to figure out. Regardless, we're pleased to advance to the semifinals next weekend, and we know that we will face tough competition down in Kentucky."
Anderson converted 37-of-70 (52.9 percent) shots from the field while Bluffton hit 29-of-64 (45.3 percent) attempts from the floor. The two teams put up matching 3-point shooting percentages of 41.7 percent. Anderson knocked down 15-of-36 attempts from 3-point range while Bluffton made 10-of-24 shots from the perimeter.
Nolan Swan provided 22 points and five assists. Bryce Williams dropped 20 points and drained 4-of-5 (80 percent) shots from behind the arc. Elijah Mattingly recorded a near triple-double with 16 points, 16 rebounds, eight assists and two steals. DeMonte Ferguson tallied 18 points and two steals. Kenney Troutman turned in 12 points and two steals. Will Jamison scored 11 points. Cedric Anderson contributed two points and six rebounds while Rob Davidson rounded out the Anderson scoring effort with two points.




















































































































