STORM LAKE, Iowa (Jan. 14, 2023) - Junior
Zane Neubaum scored a game-high 30 points and grabbed nine rebounds to help lead four players who scored in double figures, but it wasn't quite enough for the Buena Vista men's basketball team on Saturday afternoon as Wartburg College edged the Beavers, 83-80, inside of Siebens Fieldhouse.
Neubaum was 9-of-17 shooting from the field while doing a large part of his work at the charity stripe by making 11-of-12. It's the fourth time this season that he has reached the 30-point plateau.
Gunner Reed followed with 14 points, four rebounds and four assists, while
Michael Santich (13pts) and
Ryan Mendoza (11pts, 7rbs) followed.
BVU built a 15-point lead at 35-20 with just under seven minutes to play in the first half but then scored just three points the rest of the half as the Knights used a 19-3 spark to take a 39-38 lead into the break. The game was back-and-forth in the second with neither team being able to sustain much of a run. Wartburg built its largest lead of the contest at 63-56 midway through. A three-point play from Neubaum followed by a long distance bucket from
Ryan Mendoza quickly brought BVU back within 63-62. Neubaum later gave the Beavers he lead back at 67-66 with six minutes remaining. Neither team was able to build more than a three-point cushion until the Knights capatalized on a BVU turnover down the stretch which led to a layup and a 78-74 advantage with 90 seconds to go.
Neubaum did all he could to carry the team on his shoulders by again making a layup which made it 78-76 with a minute on the clock, and after the team forced a missed shot by the Knights, the ball landed out of bounds and was said to be knocked out by BVU which gave Wartburg another opportunity which they took advantage of with a jumper that made it a four-point lead at 80-76 with 30 seconds to play. The Knights then made the needed free-throws down the stretch to hold off the Beavers in the end.
BVU turned the ball over 22 times which led to 22 Wartburg points. The Knights committed just 12 miscues on the day which turned into only 12 Beaver points.
The Beavers were 27-of-53 overall from the field (50.9 percent) and outscored the Knights by 12 from beyond the arc but made just two of the seven in the second half. Wartburg, now 6-10 on the year (3-4 A-R-C), was 47.8 percent shooting from the field and made just 3-of-17 from downtown but did sep t the line and convert 22-of-30 attempts.
Buena VIsta is now 7-9 overall (1-7 A-R-C) and will host Loras College on Jan. 21 to begin the second half of the American Rivers Conference schedule. Tip-off with the Duhawks inside of Siebens Fieldhouse is set for 4 p.m.
