RICHMOND, Indiana – A dominant fourth-quarter performance at both ends of the floor allowed Earlham College women's basketball to post a 69-62 win over visiting Bluffton University, in a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup on Wednesday at the Druley Performance Gym.

First-year Trinity McClendon logged a season-high 25 points to lead four Earlham players in double figures.

THE BASICS

Final Score: Earlham 69, Bluffton 62
Location: Richmond, Indiana – Druley Performance Gym
Records: Earlham 5-13, 4-7 HCAC / Bluffton 9-9, 3-8 HCAC

HOW IT HAPPENED

Trailing 52-46 through three quarters, Earlham went 6-of-12 from the floor in the fourth quarter while holding Bluffton to 3-of-14 shooting on its way to the come-from-behind win. The Quakers' 12-0 run, lasting nearly six-and-a-half minutes of the final frame, ended with a 3-point bucket by Acacia Tenette with one minute remaining to give Earlham a 62-56 lead. Earlham went 7-for-10 at the free-throw line over the final minute to ice the victory

After a see-saw opening quarter, Bluffton began pulling away late in the frame on back-to-back layups by Brianna Gillig and TJ Mills. Earlham's Camryn White made a layup at the first-quarter buzzer, cutting the Beavers' lead to 15-10 after 10 minutes.

Earlham stayed within striking distance of Bluffton during the second quarter, cutting the Beavers' nine-point lead with 2:12 remaining down to three points on 3-pointers from Trinity McClendon and Neely Trenshaw. Bluffton extended its lead in the waning seconds of the opening half and held a 31-26 advantage at the halftime intermission.

The game threatened to get away from Earlham in the third quarter, as Bluffton opened up a 49-36 lead by the 3:22 mark. Back-to-back layups from senior Zoe Curtis, followed by a pair of foul shots, brought the Quakers to within four with under a minute showing in the third quarter. A pair of Bluffton foul shots in the final seconds extended the Beavers' lead back to six, 52-46.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

McClendon went 8-of-13 from the floor with three 3-pointers and a 6-for-9 ledger at the foul line on her way to 25 points, her second 20-point game this season. Of her 25 points, McClendon netted 15 in the first two quarters. She also dished out a team-high four assists.

Senior Camryn White finished with 11 points with five rebounds, while first-year Neely Trenshaw and senior Zoe Curtis each added 10 points off the bench.

Junior Kayla Bowling scored eight points, all in the fourth quarter to spark the Earlham comeback, and grabbed a team-high six rebounds.

Three Bluffton players cracked double figures, led by Briana Gillig with 21 points.

WHAT'S NEXT

Earlham women's basketball returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 1, when the Quakers travel to Anderson, Indiana, to face the Anderson Ravens. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 p.m.