NORTH MANCHESTER – The Manchester University women's basketball team dropped an 84-68 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup to visiting Hanover College inside of Stauffer-Wolfe Arena on Saturday.

Prior to the start of Saturday's game, Manchester honored its senior class of Bridget Nash, Miranda Bieghler, Abby Walker, Macy Miller, Hillery Shepherd, and student-manager Sarah Tribby.

After keeping pace with Hanover through the first 10 minutes of play, the visiting Panthers grabbed a comfortable lead after outscoring the Black & Gold 21-14 and 29-18 in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, respectively.

Manchester shot 8-18 from the floor and 3-6 from beyond the three-point arc in the opening period to keep pace with the Panthers.

The Panthers' speed and length propelled them to a victory on Saturday afternoon. Hanover outrebounded the Black & Gold 50-33. 24 of their rebounds were offensive and HC scored 21 second-chance points. Hanover also able to convert 15 Spartan turnovers into 23 points. 40 of Hanover's 84 points were scored in the paint.

Grace Bezold led Hanover with 33 points on the strength of 15-20 shooting. Katherine Benter added 18 points while Taylor Heath scored 15 points.

Manchester was led by Macy Miller's (Huntertown) season-high 22 points and eight rebounds. Bridget Nash (Carmel) added 11 points, while Hillery Shepherd (Middletown) scored 10 points. Abby Walker (Oswego, Ill.) scored a season-high 11 points on Saturday. Miranda Bieghler (Plainfield) led the Black & Gold with six assists.

The Spartans (7-13, 4-9 HCAC) will host Bluffton University on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the team's regular season home finale.

Hanover (12-8. 9-6 HCAC) won for the fourth straight outing. The Panthers will travel to nationally-ranked Transylvania University on Tuesday for a 7 p.m. showdown with the Pioneers.



Spartans Fall To League-Leading Panthers

NORTH MANCHESTER – The Manchester University men's basketball team dropped a 70-58 decision to the league-leading Hanover College Panthers inside of Stauffer-Wolfe Arena on Saturday.

After battling the Panthers close for most of the game, Hanover used a decisive 21-11 run late in the 2nd half to distance itself from the Spartans.

Manchester was held to 39.3 percent (22-56) shooting from the floor. The Panthers' defense also held the Spartans to just 25 percent (6-24) shooting from three-point territory.

Brandon Christlieb (Ashley, Ind./Prairie Heights) was one of three Spartans to score in double figures on Saturday. Christlieb scored 16 points. Ty Lynas (Crawfordsville, Ind./Crawfordsville) added 15 points, while Quentez Columbus (South Bend, Ind./Adams) scored 10 points and hauled in eight rebounds.

The Panthers shot 45.5 percent (25-55) from the field in Saturday's contest. Hanover shot 15-20 from the free throw line – good for 75 percent. HC also outrebounded the Spartans 40-30.

Ty Houston led the visitors with a double-double of 20 points and 14 rebounds. Isaac Hibbard added 15 points and six assists, while, Max Greenamoyer chipped in 14 points. Jack Wininger gave the Panthers a big boost off the bench, as he contributed a double-double of 13 points and 10 boards in 25 minutes of action.

Manchester (8-14, 7-8 HCAC) will travel to Bluffton University on Tuesday Februar for its regular season road finale. Tip-off from Ohio is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

Hanover (18-3, 14-2 HCAC) maintained the best record in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference. The Panthers are scheduled to host Transylvania University on Tuesday beginning at 7:30 p.m.

wo More Records Broken At DePauw

GREENCASTLE – In the teams' final tune-up ahead of next week's Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, the Manchester University indoor track & field teams broke two new school records at the DePauw Indoor Invitational on Saturday.

Enrique Salazar (Plymouth) set a new school record in the 800m after winning the event with a leading time of 1:56.91. Salazar also broke school records in the 3000m and 5000m events earlier this season.

Quinten Willis (Athens, Ga.) also broke his own record in the 60m hurdles. He bested his mark from earlier this in Saturday's prelims, lowering his time to 8.69 seconds. Willis would finish fifth in the finals.

Erica Mohr (Payne, Ohio) was the only other Spartan to capture an event victory on Saturday. Mohr took home top honors in the weight throw with a top mark of 14.95m.

Other Podium Finishes (Top 3)

Men

Thomas Richardson (Ladoga) ran to a runner-up finish in the mile, clocking a final time of 4:28.05. His time placed within the Top 10 at Manchester, placing him 8th all-time.

Timothy Macomber (Angola) placed third in the shot put with a mark of 13.81m.

Women

The women's 4-x-400 meter relay team of Brandi Smith, Hilary Ernstes, Antonae Colfield, and Adelle Stanko placed second overall after spring to a time of 4:19.46. Their collective time was good enough for 4th on the all-time Manchester Top 10 lists.

Kendal Garringer (Portland) placed third in the high jump after clearing 1.40m.

Claire Butler (South Bend) added a third-place finish in the pole vault after clearing 2.40m.

Carley Camp (Logansport) came home third in the weight throw after a final toss of 13.88m. Her mark was good enough for 8th-best all-time at MU.

Other Top 10 Marks

Men

Tristen Bronaugh (Crawfordsville) clocked a time of 23.38 in the 200m – good enough for 6th-best all-time at Manchester.

Gabe Melvin (Jacksonville, Fla.) broke into the Top 10  in the 200m after posting a time of 23.64 on Saturday. His time was 10th-best all-time.

Women

Adelle Stanko (Okemos, Mich.) posted a mark of 10.28m in the triple jump. Her mark was a new career-best and still stands 4th all-time at Manchester.

Carley Camp also broke into the Manchester Top 10 on Saturday – her mark in the shot put of 11.31m was good enough for 9th all-time at MU.

Both sides finished in sixth place on Saturday afternoon. The women scored 68.5 points, while the mend scored 64 points.  Manchester will now prepare for the HCAC Indoor Championships which are slated to be hosted at Defiance College on Saturday  at 1 p.m.



Three Spartans Place At Mid-States

ADA, Ohio – The Manchester University wrestling team had a trio of grapplers place on Saturday afternoon at the Mid-States Invitational hosted by Ohio Northern University.

Devontay Moore (Indianapolis) led the Spartans with a fourth-place finish in the 184-lb. weight class. Moore opened his day by pinning Wabash's Trescott Duffy just 28 seconds into the bout. After dropping his next matchup, Moore rebounded with another pin, this time against Ohio Northern's Zac Dabney. Moore went 2-2 on Saturday.

Josh Lee (Wyandotte, Mich.) added a sixth-place finish for the Black & Gold at 174-lbs. Josh Stephenson (Yorktown) also placed sixth on Saturday. Stephenson opened his day with a pin of Alma's Nicholas Dawson.

The Spartans scored 38 team points on Saturday afternoon.

Manchester is scheduled to wrestle again on Wednesday at Defiance College. The Spartans will face both the Defiance Yellow Jackets and the Mt. St. Joseph Lions beginning at 5 p.m.