Box Score BLUFFTON, Ohio – Hanover found themselves on the wrong end of a late Bluffton rally that doomed costly for the Panthers in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action on Saturday afternoon, 77-68.
 
The Panthers were paced by freshman Grace Bezold (Covington, Ky.) and freshman Taylor Heath (Fairland, Ind.) both in double figures. Bezold netted a team-high 19 points while Heath turned in 14 points.
 
Bezold dominated the opening stanza for the Blue and Red as she netted 11 points, including the first two Panther buckets, to push HC on top 28-20. Hanover carried the momentum into the second quarter as junior Callie Wilder (North Vernon, Ind.) hit a jumper before Bezold delivered another blow to put HC on top 32-22.
 
However, the Beavers came crawling back using a 12-0 run over a four-minute span to capture the slim 34-32 advantage. They continued to fire on all cylinders using impressive shooting to cling to the 42-38 halftime lead.
 
After finding themselves trailing 53-46 the Panthers went to work using a sophomore Kiara Crabtree (Franklin, Ind.) old fashion three-point play to cut the deficit to 53-52 before knotting the contest as time expired on the third quarter.
 
The final stanza saw the Bluffton offense continue to heat up as a 13-2 run propelled them on top. Hanover looked to erase the 71-58 difference late but fell empty handed as Bluffton was able to hold on for the HCAC victory.
 
Hanover returns to action on Wednesday, January 26 when they travel to Rose-Hulman. Game time is set for 7:30 PM.