Final Score:  Bluffton 67, Earlham 45
Location: Bluffton, Ohio – Sommer Center
Records: Earlham 1-3 / Bluffton 7-0

BLUFFTON, Ohio – Bluffton University grabbed an early lead and fought off multiple rallies from Earlham College men's basketball, eventually prevailing over the Quakers, 67-45, on Saturday evening at the Sommer Center.

The Beavers held a double-digit lead just five minutes into the game, capitalizing on a 12-0 run after the Quakers got on the board first with a Jamel Barnes jumper.

Earlham (1-3) got back with four, 21-17, with 6:50 remaining in the opening stanza after a conventional 3-point play, but Bluffton closed out the frame with another surge and took a 32-22 lead into the halftime intermission.

The Quakers cut the Beavers' lead to eight points on four different occasions in the first 10 minutes of the second half, but Earlham would get no closer.

Reserve Antonio Buckley netted 16 points on a 6-of-9 effort from the floor, while senior Jamel Barnes Jr. finished with 14 points. Josh Ozanne tallied nine points in the loss.

Earlham was outrebounded by Bluffton, 42 to 22, including a 15 to 2 margin on the offensive glass that translated to a 12-0 advantage in second-chance points. The Quakers were also whistled for 21 fouls to the Beavers' 12, which resulted in Bluffton's 16-of-28 ledger at the free-throw line.

Jameel Cosby led Bluffton (7-0) with 22 points, while Dezman Brown and Aaron Rich each tallied 12 points. Rich hauled down 12 rebounds to complete the double-double.

Earlham men's basketball remains on the road for its next contest when it travels to Lexington, Kentucky, on Friday, Jan. 29, to face Transylvania University. No fans will be permitted at the game under HCAC return to play protocols.