LEXINGTON, KY. – A hard-nosed effort for the entire 40 minutes left a gritty Manchester University bunch just short of advancing in the 2015 Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference tournament Friday, Feb. 27.

The Spartans pieced together a solid opening frame. Behind a 13-3 run in the middle of the first 20 minutes, MU held a 29-22 lead. They maintained the advantage into halftime (29-26) before tough luck shooting woes plagued the Black and Gold to begin the second half. Fourth-seeded Bluffton University, beginning a 17-0 stretch with the last four points of the first half, opened up a 10-point cushion (39-29) before the fifth-seeded Spartans managed their first points at the 13:35 mark.

MU, as they have throughout the season, battled back. A lay-up by senior center Alyssa Hammond (Osgood, Ind.) with 2:43 left made the count 49-48, but BU (18-8) converted 10 consecutive free throws down the stretch to ice the 57-50 win.

The Spartans, seeing their season end at 13-13, were led by junior guard Justin Kruger (Francesville, Ind.) for the second straight game. She put up 13 points. Hammond, concluding her collegiate career in high style, just missed a double-double with 10 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Junior guard Katie Arterburn (Indianapolis, Ind.) added eight points.

NOTE: Manchester University's Class of 2015 closed the book on a sparkling four-year stretch. They were part of 55 victories, four HCAC tournament appearances and three .500-or-better campaigns.