Final Score:  Bluffton 69, Earlham 55
Location: Richmond, Indiana – Druley Performance Gym
Records: Earlham 1-2 / Bluffton 6-0

RICHMOND, Indiana – Earlham College men's basketball was never able to fully recover from Bluffton University's 9-0 run to open the game, eventually dropping a 69-55 loss to the visiting Beavers on Friday night at Druley Performance Gym.

Bluffton remained unbeaten while improving to 6-0, while Earlham slipped to 1-2 overall.

Earlham pulled to within three points, 13-10, with 12:41 remaining in the first half on an AJ White jumper. Bluffton answered with a 9-0 run over the next seven minutes, and finished the opening stanza with a 31-19 advantage.

The Quakers briefly got within single digits of the Beavers in the second half, when a pair of Jordan Stolle 3-pointers trimmed the Bluffton lead to 45-37 with 11:55 showing on the game clock.

Jamel Barnes Jr. and Tommy Makabu each finished with 11 points, while Josh Ozanne charted eight points and a team-high seven rebounds. AJ White dished out four assists.

Jameel Cosby paced Bluffton with 25 points and eight rebounds. Bluffton shot 51.9 percent (27-of-52) from the floor, besting the Quakers' .400 (22-of-55) field goal percentage.

Earlham men's basketball completes the two-game series against Bluffton when it travels to Bluffton, Ohio, to face the Beavers on Saturday, Jan. 23. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.