The Hanover College men's basketball team rallied late and held on for a 69-67 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference win over Bluffton College, Saturday, Jan. 31, in Bluffton , OH.
The Panthers have now won nine straight and improved to 18-1 overall and remain unbeaten in the HCAC at 8-0. Bluffton drops to 9-10 overall and 3-5 in conference play.
Senior guard Thad McCracken (Heltonville, IN) knocked down four three-pointers enroute to a team-high 14 points. Junior center Tommy Dennis (Mooresville, IN) scored 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds and freshman forward Frank Passaro (Kettering, OH) added 12 points off the bench for Hanover.
Senior forward Brad Boyles and freshman guard Michael Anthony scored 19 points each to lead the Beavers. Sophomore guard Scott Bergman added 13 points for Bluffton.
Hanover opened the game on a 9-0 run and led the entire first half taking a 30-20 lead into the locker room. Bluffton would rally in the second half going on an 11-2 run to take a 38-37 lead at the 11:53 mark. The Beavers would push the lead to seven points with five minutes left to play only to see Hanover go on a run of their own, outscoring Bluffton 16-3 to take a 67-61 lead and go on to win the game 69-67.
The Panthers shot 47.9% (23-48) from the field for the game. Hanover made 11-24 (45.8%)from the field in the first half and 12-24 (50.0%) in the second half. Bluffton struggled from the field in the first half shooting only 23.5% (4-17), but shot a blistering 65.2% (15-23) in the second period. The Beavers finished 19-40 (47.5%) for the game.
Hanover will return home Wednesday, Feb. 4, when they host the Anderson University Ravens. The HCAC contest will start at 7:30 p.m