KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team hosted Bluffton in the Anderson Athletic Center on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 17). In a competitive back-and-forth game, it took all 40 minutes to determine a winner as the Beavers hit a jump shot with 0.3 on the clock and eventually won over the Hornets 63-62.
Kalamazoo had the advantage early, leading by six points within the first six minutes of the ball game. Then, Bluffton went on a spurt of its own, taking a 12-10 lead at the 11:54 mark. However, this would be the only time the Hornets relinquished control in the first half after they tied it back up on the next possession. A Caleb Caul three regained the lead for the remainder of the half, building an eight-point lead heading into the locker room. Lukas Broadsword finished with eight points and six rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
After both teams hit a couple of shots coming out of halftime, Bluffton began a 13-3 run at the 15:48 mark that ended in a three-point advantage two minutes later. The Hornets had an answer nearly every time the Beavers scored. The point differential was never greater than five points, and a Broadsword layup tied the game up at 52 with five minutes left. After Bluffton hit a couple of free throws, Addison Atwater drained a three-point basket to take the lead with 3:51 on the clock. Another Beaver free throw tied the game back up, but Bobby Samples hit a three of his own for a 58-55 advantage with 2:44 remaining. Two Bluffton threes and a Ty Horky layup gave the Beavers a one-point lead with 1:28 left in the game. After a couple of possessions, a Samples steal eventually turned into a Broadsword layup with 13 seconds on the clock. Unfortunately, Bluffton hit a long-range two-point shot with 0.3 remaining to eventually win by one point.
Broadsword scored a season-high 20 points while also grabbing eight rebounds to lead Kalamazoo. Also scoring in double figures was Samples with 11 points and Caul with 10 points. Horky dished out a team-high four assists, while Samples collected three steals.
Rounding out the scoring for the Hornets was Horky (7), Carter Bandemer (5), Atwater (3), Gabriel Sharp (2), Lucas Hanifan (2), and Sam Coleman (2). Bluffton narrowly shot the ball better, hitting on 45.8% of its shots compared to Kalamazoo's 44.4%. The Beavers finished with more rebounds (33-27) and turnovers (15-11), while the Hornets had more assists (10-8), steals (7-6), and blocks (3-0). Kalamazoo also finished with more points in the paint (26-22) and fast break points (4-0) as Bluffton had more second-chance points (10-8), and each team had 10 points off turnovers.
Kalamazoo will begin its Holiday Classic Tournament by hosting Finlandia on Wednesday (Dec. 21) at 6 p.m.