BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Earlham College men's basketball team led 23-21 with 4:37 to play in the first half, but Bluffton went on a 13-0 run to end the half and held on for a 72-61 win in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) play on Wednesday.

The largest lead for either side in the opening stages of the first half was four points. The Beavers took a 15-11 lead when Austin Rohde connected on two free throws, but the Quakers stormed back with an 8-0 run capped by a jumper from junior Kyle Smith to take a 19-15 advantage with 6:51 to play in the first half.

Earlham maintained its lead for the next two minutes, until Bluffton clamped down on defense and did not allow the Quakers to score while going on the aforementioned 13-0 run to end the half.

The Quakers would get as close as seven points in the second half when Isaiah Ware hit a three-pointer to make the score 53-46 with 9:44 to play. Thayne Recker scored the Beavers' next six points and as Bluffton moved to 5-1 on the season.

Sophomore Elijah Wilson-Thomas led Earlham with 22 points while senior Taylen Alexander added 19 on 8-15 from the field. Ware chipped in seven points off of the bench.

Austin Rohde led all scorers with 26 points while Recker tallied 20. No other Beaver finished with over six points.

As a team, Earlham shot 44 percent from the field compared to 43 percent for Bluffton. The Quakers were just 3-21 from beyond the arc while the Beavers connected on 6-21 three-point tries. Bluffton also earned 16 trips to the free throw line and converted on 14 of those trips. Earlham hit 2-3 from the charity stripe.

The Quakers return to action when they host Franklin for the conference home-opener for Earlham on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m.