The Beavers were ahead 19-9 eight minutes into the game, but the Knights went on a run and got themselves back within two points. Katie Maguire stepped up and hit a three-pointer which started a 7-0 run giving BVU the momentum it needed. The teams battled back and forth through the rest of the first half but the Beavers went into the locker room leading 47 to 35.
In the second half, the Beaves separated themselves from Wartburg quickly. With just three and a half minutes off the clock, Kelli Staley hit a jumper to put the team up by 18. The score continued to rise as Maguire stole the ball and made a lay-up to make the score 78-57. Wartburg wasn’t able to get back into the game after that.
BVU shot a solid 49% from the field. Maguire tallied 27 points to lead the way. Maguire was 11 for 11 from the charity line and was 7 for 12 from the field. She had a team-high six assists and four steals while moving into second place on the school's all-time career steal list.
Kelli Staley was second in scoring as she powered up 19 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Jess Griggs was next in line, scoring 12 points.
When asked about the team’s strengths in the game, BVU head coach Janet Berry said, “Intensity. We really came out of the gates, even though Wartburg shot well, we kept our composure and did what we needed to.”
Elizabeth Campbell led the way for the Knights as she scored 15 points. Megan Hendricks was close behind scoring 13 and yanking down seven rebounds.
Buena Vista, 15-9 on the season and 10-5 in the IIAC, will be the third seed in next week's Iowa Conference tournament. The Beavers will host a first-round game on Tuesday, February 21. Wartburg, 6-17 on the year and 3-12 in the conference, was eliminated from postseason contention with the loss.
Buena Vista will next face the University of Dubuque on Saturday, February 18 at home. This will be a special game as it marks the last regular season home game and senior night.
Wartburg College vs Buena Vista University 02/15/06 6:00 pm at Siebens Fieldhouse At Storm Lake, IA BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY 92, WARTBURG COLLEGE 74 WARTBURG COLLEGE (6-17, 3-12 IIAC) CAMPBELL, Elizabeth 5-12 4-9 15; HENDRICKS, Megan 6-8 1-2 13; DONAHUE, Ashton 3-7 0-0 9; MULDER, Tarah 4-4 1-2 9; KUGLER, Jessica 2-7 4-4 8; FRANTZ, Jamie 2-10 2-2 8; SCHOONOVER, Alecia 2-4 1-2 5; FELD, Kayla 2-6 0-0 4; BURRELL, LaToshia 1-6 0-1 3; MEYER, Molly 0-0 0-0 0; PIRKL, Laura 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 27-66 13-22 74. BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY (15-9, 10-5 IIAC) MAGUIRE, Katie 7-12 11-11 27; STALEY, Kelli 7-12 5-6 19; GRIGGS, Jess 3-8 4-4 12; HARTWIG, Tracy 3-9 0-0 8; EBEL, Katie 2-3 2-2 7; MEYER, Lindsey 2-4 0-0 5; ERNST, Katie 2-3 0-0 4; MOORE, Tia 1-1 0-0 2; SCHWEITZBERGER, Jenn 1-1 0-0 2; PUTNEY, Melissa 1-2 0-0 2; STOELK, Courtney 1-6 0-0 2; HEITMANN, Penni 1-2 0-0 2; CHRISTIANSEN, Juli 0-0 0-0 0; RUSS, Yuvanca 0-0 0-0 0; HOPKINS, Allissa 0-0 0-0 0; SCHMIDT, Jacqulyn 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 31-63 22-23 92. Wartburg College.............. 35 39 - 74 Buena Vista University........ 47 45 - 92 3-point goals-Wartburg College 7-26 (DONAHUE, Ashton 3-7; FRANTZ, Jamie 2-9; BURRELL, LaToshia 1-4; CAMPBELL, Elizabeth 1-3; FELD, Kayla 0-2; KUGLER, Jessica 0-1), Buena Vista University 8-23 (GRIGGS, Jess 2-5; HARTWIG, Tracy 2-4; MAGUIRE, Katie 2-5; MEYER, Lindsey 1-2; EBEL, Katie 1-2; STOELK, Courtney 0-3; STALEY, Kelli 0-2). Fouled out--Wartburg College-PIRKL, Laura, Buena Vista University-None. Rebounds-Wartburg College 36 (HENDRICKS, Megan 7), Buena Vista University 43 (GRIGGS, Jess 8). Assists-Wartburg College 13 (FRANTZ, Jamie 4), Buena Vista University 17 (MAGUIRE, Katie 6). Total fouls-Wartburg College 18, Buena Vista University 21. A-750