RICHMOND – The Earlham College men's basketball team outlasted Bluffton College for a 76-68 win in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action.
Before tip-off, Tashi Johnson ('05) was honored as part of black history month. Johnson was a four-year member of the Quaker track and field team and a 12-time all-conference honoree. She is a two-time national qualifier in the 100 meter dash and still holds the school records in the 100 and 200 meter dash races. Johnson was the first black woman to be inducted into the Earlham Athletics Hall of Fame.
The Quakers improved to 9-10 (5-7 HCAC) while the Beavers fell to 5-15 (1-11 HCAC).
Freshman
Kolden Vanlandingham continued his impressive season with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists.
Tommy Makabu followed with 19 points and three assists, and
Chase Younts controlled the paint with 10 boards and three blocks.
Earlham bounced out to an early 7-0 lead in the opening three minutes. Bluffton fought back however, and tied the game at 14 with 14:13 remaining in the half.
After being tied at 18 near the 11:30 mark, Bluffton scored an 11-1 run spanning five minutes. The Quakers struggled to make up any ground after the run, and trailed 38-27 going into halftime.
Bluffton started the second half with a 3-pointer before a 13-2 run for Earlham to cut the lead down to 43-40 with 15 minutes remaining.
After five minutes of back-and-forth scoring, Ealrham tied the game at 53, and took the lead after a Vanlandingham steal went back for a layup.
At the 9:45 mark of the second half, the Quakers began a 12-2 run to put them ahead 67-57 with just under five minutes left to play.
After gaining the lead, the Quakers shot efficiently and controlled possession on offense to take the win 76-68.
As a team, Earlham only gave up five turnovers the entire game, compared to 12 from Bluffton. The Quakers recorded a steal on six of those turnovers, as well as 14 points.
Earlham will carry this momentum into a Saturday doubleheader with Mount St. Joseph in Druley Performance Gym. The men's tip-off is slated for 3 pm.
