STORM LAKE, Iowa (Jan. 14, 2023) - It was a game of runs by both teams, but in the end it was the final surge by Wartburg College that put the game away as the Knights handed the Buena Vista women's basketball team an 85-66 loss inside of Siebens Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.

Wartburg opened up a 27-13 lead after the first quarter and saw that cushion grow to 50-27 at the half. BVU shot 40 percent from the field in that second quarter while holding the Knights to a 6-of-16 effort, but it was the visitors doing a great deal of their work at the free-throw line in the first half where they attempted 22 shots and made 16.

BVU came out of the break with a strong 14-3 run that was capped by a Maddie Hilgendorf three-point shot that dwindled the Beaver deficit down to 12 at 53-41 midway through the period. That, however, proved to be the closest the team would climb back as Wartburg closed the quarter on an 18-8 run to extend the margin to 71-49 heading to the fourth. A layup and a three-point basket quickly pushed the Wartburg lead up to 27. It was just too high of a deficit for the Beavers to overcome at that point, but they were able to hold the Knights to nine points the rest of the quarter as part of a 17-9 surge.

Sophomore McKenna Cone led BVU with 12 points as junior Lindsey Anhalt chimed in with 10. Emily Newton made both of her three-point attempts and was one of three players to score seven points. Senior Vanessa Hamlett grabbed a team-leading seven rebounds as BVU held a slight 39-38 edge on the glass. Both teams finished the game shooting 20-of-27 at the free-throw line. Jenna Hallock sunk all six of her attempts and tallied six points and five rebounds.

Despite a tough 2-for-13 finish from the field in the fourth quarter, the Beavers shot 35 percent for the game while going 6-of-14 from long range. The Knights were just higher at 38 percent while going just 9-of-29 from distance. BVU turned the ball over 22 times and that led to 30 points for Wartburg while the Knights (12-4, 7-0 A-R-C) had only eight turnovers for the entire contest.

Buena Vista is now 6-10 overall (1-7 A-R-C) and will be off until hosting Loras College on Jan. 21 at 2 p.m.