Lebanon Valley will now play in the tournament championship game on Saturday at 8 p.m. and take on host Virginia Wesleyan, a 95-54 winner of SUNY-Maritime in the other first-round game.
The Flying Dutchmen held a slim 27-25 halftime lead, but pulled away in the second half by outscoring the Beavers 35-17.
LVC shot a sizzling 54.5% (12 for 22) over the final 20 minutes and ended up shooting 46.9% for the game. The Dutchmen held Bluffton to just five field goals and 19.2% shooting in the second half. The Beavers shot just 28.3% for the game.
Bluffton’s 42 points were the fewest by an LVC opponent since the Dutchmen’s 62-39 win over Dickinson early in the 2002-03 season.
Junior forward Steve Buzinski added 14 points, a game-high eight rebounds, four steals, and three blocks while senior center Brad Stigelman chipped in with 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting.
Eric Sweet paced Bluffton with 12 points and seven rebounds.