Buena Vista roared out of the gate to a 21-2 lead in the first seven minutes of the game. The Beavers forced 10 Prairie Wolf turnovers and canned three 3-pointers in those first seven minutes of play.
Nebraska Wesleyan responded with a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to 21-12. Buena Vista then went on an 11-1 spurt and never let its lead slip into the single digits again.
Staley, who is now averaging a team-high 19.2 points per game, was 11 of 14 from the field including 3 of 3 from behind the arc. She also hit six of nine free throw attempts and pulled down six rebounds. Staley's previous career high of 24 points came on November 29 of this year in a victory against Central College.
Tracy Hartwig contributed 12 points and five assists as Buena Vista won its seventh consecutive game in the series with Nebraska Wesleyan. Katie Maguire added 10 points and seven assists.
Buena Vista, which led 50-29 at halftime, shot 27 of 50 (54%) from the field. For the second day in a row, the Beavers excelled at getting to the free throw line. BVU was 26 of 33 (79%) from the charity stripe.
Angie Schlecht scored 14 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead Nebraska Wesleyan. Megan Wells added 13 points off of the bench. Sarah Henning chipped in 11 points.
Nebraska Wesleyan, now 3-8 on the year, shot just 28 of 73 (38%) from the floor and a dismal 1 of 14 (7%) from 3-point range. The Prairie Wolves out-rebounded the Beavers 40-36 and committed three fewer turnovers (28-25).
The game marked the return of Nebraska Wesleyan head coach Amy Sander to the BVU campus. Prior to this year, Sander was BVU’s head volleyball and assistant women’s basketball coach for five years.
Buena Vista improved to 6-4 on the season with the victory. The squad has now won six straight games against non-NCAA II opponents. BVU will resume Iowa Conference play by traveling to Cornell College on Wednesday, January 4.
Nebraska Wesleyan vs Buena Vista University 12/30/05 2:00 at Storm Lake, IA BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY 89, NEBRASKA WESLEYAN 69 NEBRASKA WESLEYAN (3-8) Schlecht, Angie 6-13 2-2 14; Wells, Meagan 6-10 1-2 13; Henning, Sarah 4-7 3-4 11; Aschtgen, Devan 4-14 0-0 8; Johnson, Christine 3-11 0-1 7; Porter, Samantha 2-6 2-2 6; Thiele, Alicia 2-5 0-0 4; Potter, Sarah 1-3 0-0 2; McLean, Char Mae 0-1 2-2 2; McVay, Anna 0-0 2-2 2; Sedlak, Sarah 0-0 0-0 0; Berreckman, Claire 0-1 0-0 0; Krienert, Danielle 0-1 0-0 0; Bordovsky, Ashley 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-73 12-15 69. BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY (6-4) STALEY, Kelli 11-14 6-9 31; HARTWIG, Tracy 3-5 5-6 12; MAGUIRE, Katie 2-7 5-6 10; MEYER, Lindsey 3-5 0-0 9; GRIGGS, Jess 1-5 4-4 7; STOELK, Courtney 3-6 0-0 6; ERNST, Katie 1-3 2-2 4; SCHMIDT, Jacqulyn 2-3 0-0 4; PUTNEY, Melissa 1-1 1-2 3; SCHWEITZBERGER, Jenn 0-0 2-2 2; DAVISON, Lynnsey 0-0 1-2 1; MOORE, Tia 0-0 0-0 0; RUSS, Yuvanca 0-0 0-0 0; CHRISTIANSEN, Juli 0-0 0-0 0; HOPKINS, Allissa 0-0 0-0 0; HEITMANN, Penni 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-50 26-33 89. Nebraska Wesleyan............. 29 40 - 69 Buena Vista University........ 50 39 - 89 3-point goals-Nebraska Wesleyan 1-14 (Johnson, Christine 1-4; Wells, Meagan 0-1; Aschtgen, Devan 0-1; Porter, Samantha 0-2; Potter, Sarah 0-2; Krienert, Danielle 0-1; Schlecht, Angie 0-3), Buena Vista University 9-20 (STALEY, Kelli 3-3; MEYER, Lindsey 3-4; GRIGGS, Jess 1-3; HARTWIG, Tracy 1-2; MAGUIRE, Katie 1-6; STOELK, Courtney 0-2). Fouled out--Nebraska Wesleyan-Aschtgen, Devan, Buena Vista University-None. Rebounds-Nebraska Wesleyan 40 (Aschtgen, Devan 8), Buena Vista University 36 (STALEY, Kelli 6; GRIGGS, Jess 6). Assists-Nebraska Wesleyan 14 (Porter, Samantha 8), Buena Vista University 18 (MAGUIRE, Katie 7). Total fouls-Nebraska Wesleyan 26, Buena Vista University 15. A-275