The first half was a closely fought battle with seven lead changes. Loras nursed a slim lead for the majority of the first half and took a 30-28 lead into halftime.
Buena Vista's Melissa Putney sank two free throws early in the second half to tie it up at 30-30, and then Loras shut down everything, going on a 24-7 run that left Buena Vista reeling.
Trailing Loras by 15 points, Lindsey Meyer drilled back-to-back 3-point shots with three and a half minutes left in the game. This sparked a surge of shooting from beyond the arc as Katie Maguire swished one, Meyer had a third, and Jess Griggs sank one as well for the Beavers.
Buena Vista cut the deficit to three on two occasions with less than a minute to play, but Loras made its free throws when it counted. Loras was able to hold off Buena Vista’s determined effort as the clock wound down to zero.
Maguire led the Beaver offense with 20 points and four assists, and Griggs had 14 points. Kelli Staley also scored in double figures with 10 points and was the team’s high rebounder with eight boards.
Natalie Pucci led Loras with 24 points. Sarah Wilson chipped in 11 points, and Anita Saeger pulled down ten rebounds.
Buena Vista shot a season-high 39 3-point shots and made 13 of them (33%). The Beavers were a perfect 18 of 18 from the free throw line.
Loras shot 24 of 51 (47%) from the field. The Duhawks were 20 of 29 (69%) from the charity stripe.
This brings Buena Vista to 12-8 on the season. Loras is now 9-11. Both squads are 7-4 in the conference.
The Beavers will hit the road for its next game, traveling to Cedar Rapids, Iowa to face Coe College on February 7th. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
Loras College vs Buena Vista University 2/4/06 4:00 PM at STORM LAKE, IOWA At STORM LAKE, IOWA LORAS COLLEGE 75, BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY 71 LORAS COLLEGE (9-11, 7-4 IIAC) PUCCI, Natalie 8-18 4-6 24; WILSON, Sarah 2-5 6-7 11; BENNETT, Blair 2-10 5-6 9; POLLMANN, Marissa 4-9 0-2 8; SAEGER, Anita 3-3 0-0 7; SEARS, Jackie 1-1 3-4 6; MILLER, Alicia 3-3 0-0 6; KROOT, Nicole 1-2 2-4 4. Totals 24-51 20-29 75. BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY (12-8, 7-4 IIAC) MAGUIRE, Katie 6-17 4-4 20; GRIGGS, Jess 4-11 4-4 14; STALEY, Kelli 3-9 2-2 10; MEYER, Lindsey 3-5 0-0 9; HARTWIG, Tracy 2-8 2-2 8; SCHWEITZBERGER, Jenn 1-1 2-2 4; PUTNEY, Melissa 1-3 2-2 4; EBEL, Katie 0-5 2-2 2; HEITMANN, Penni 0-1 0-0 0; STOELK, Courtney 0-1 0-0 0; ERNST, Katie 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 20-62 18-18 71. Loras College................. 30 45 - 75 Buena Vista University........ 28 43 - 71 3-point goals-Loras College 7-17 (PUCCI, Natalie 4-9; WILSON, Sarah 1-2; SEARS, Jackie 1-1; SAEGER, Anita 1-1; BENNETT, Blair 0-4), Buena Vista University 13-39 (MAGUIRE, Katie 4-11; MEYER, Lindsey 3-5; HARTWIG, Tracy 2-7; GRIGGS, Jess 2-8; STALEY, Kelli 2-4; STOELK, Courtney 0-1; EBEL, Katie 0-3). Fouled out--Loras College-WILSON, Sarah; SEARS, Jackie, Buena Vista University-None. Rebounds-Loras College 40 (SAEGER, Anita 10), Buena Vista University 33 (STALEY, Kelli 8). Assists-Loras College 14 (WILSON, Sarah 3; SAEGER, Anita 3), Buena Vista University 12 (MAGUIRE, Katie 4). Total fouls-Loras College 19, Buena Vista University 22. A-700