MANKATO, Minn. —
In a tale of two halves, the Bethany Lutheran women's basketball team (9-6 overall, 4-0 UMAC) defeated the University of Northwestern (6-5, 1-1) 74-62 Saturday afternoon.
UNW blitzed BLC early as it took a 27-16 lead into the first quarter break. Senior Hanna Geistfeld (Truman, Minn.) nearly recorded a double double with 10 points and nine rebounds in the game's first 10 minutes.
The Eagles pushed the lead to 16 with 4:26 to play in the second frame, but back-to-back treys by freshmen Haley Meyer (Centerville, S.D.) and Alexis Cloyd (Garden City, Minn.) brought BLC to within seven (41-34) at the intermission.
Bethany held a 14-6 advantage in second-chance points in the first half. Geistfeld got her double-double, her 10
th of the season, early in the second frame.
To begin the third period, the Eagles gained control and led 54-39.
BLC promptly closed the quarter on a 14-0 run and trailed by only one (54-53). In the midst of that run, Geistfeld grabbed her career-best 20th rebound with 2:03 to play.
To start the final frame, Bethany extended its run to 17 unanswered, as sophomore Sara Kottke (Buffalo Lake, Minn.) grabbed the lead (56-54) with a three-point play.
From there, the Vikings only cushioned their lead with a barrage of buckets and defensive stops. BLC finished the game on an 11-2 run to seal the comeback victory.
Bethany held UNW to 4-13 shooting in the fourth, including 0-5 from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Vikings shot 8-15 in the final frame, and made all eight of their free throws in the second half.
Geistfeld finished with 31 points, 21 rebounds (which included 11 offensive boards), three assists, and a game-high four steals. Kottke and junior Taryn Christensen (South Sioux City, Neb.) joined her in double digits with 15 and 11 points, respectively. Kottke also led the team in assists with six, just two shy of her career high.
Bethany held advantages in second-chance points (17-8), rebounds (38-29), assists (19-17) and steals (8-5).
The Vikings take to the road next week for two conference games, as they will first face Minnesota Morris Friday at 5:30 p.m.
