BLUFFTON, Ohio – The Earlham College men's basketball team dropped a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup at Bluffton University 66-60 on Wednesday evening. 

Tommy Makabu led the Quaker offense with 16 points, while James Holder was the rebound leader with nine. 

After a layup by Makabu gave the Quakers a 20-18 lead, Earlham continued on a 7-0 run spanning nearly three minutes. The Beavers responded with a 6-0 run, but 3-pointers from Joffrey Nunally and Zachariah Andre contributed to an 8-0 run for EC to end the half. 

Earlham led 33-24 at the break, and began the second half with an 8-3 run. The Quakers led by as many as 15 points at the 15 minute mark before a 17-1 run by the Beavers. Bluffton took the lead on a free throw at the 9:51 mark of the second half. 

Andre responded with a 3-pointer to put EC up 55-51, but Bluffton would tie the score at 55 with seven minutes remaining. Trailing 59-57 with 3:18 on the clock, Bluffton scored a 9-1 run in the final minutes to secure the comeback. 

Earlham will travel to Cincinnati, Ohio on Saturday to take on Mount St. Joseph. Tip-off is slated for 3 pm.