KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Kalamazoo College men's basketball team looked to earn its first win of the season Wednesday evening inside Anderson Athletic Center but the Hornets ran into a hot shooting team from Bluffton University. The Beavers defeated the Hornets, 91-70.
After falling behind 14-7 less than five minutes into the contest, the Hornets battled their way back and cut the Beavers' lead to four at the 9:26 and 8:12 marks. An 11-0 run from the Beavers, though, over the next four minutes of play allowed Bluffton to carry a 46-34 lead with them into halftime.
Bluffton shot 59 percent from the field in the first half and continued their hot shooting from the get-go when the second half of play began. Despite Kalamazoo's 50 percent shooting from the field in the second half, the Beavers saw their lead grow as large as 28 with 14:40 remaining and the Hornets were unable to bridge the gap.
Chase Baysdell, Josh Miller, Adam Dykema and Jason Hugan each scored nine points for Kalamazoo in the defeat.
Jake Whitney led the way in the rebounding category, collecting five shots off the mark.
Austin Rohde and Thayne Recker eached scored 29 for Bluffton while Recker added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
Kalamazoo begins an eight game road trip Saturday, Dec. 5 when they take on the University of Chicago. Game time is scheduled for 4 p.m.
The Hornets return to Anderson Athletic Center on Jan. 6 when they open Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association play against Alma College.