MANKATO, Minn. (Nov. 16, 2024) - Buena Vista freshman Tyme Boettcher stepped to the line and calmly made three free-throw attempts with 0.2 seconds left in regulation to force overtime as the Beavers overcame a 16-point second half deficit and went on to edge Bethany Lutheran College on the road Saturday afternoon, 83-82, to give head coach Kylee Boettcher her first collegiate coaching victory.

Bethany Lutheran led 60-44 with 1:34 remaining in the third quarter before BVU cut that lead down to 11 with a trio of free-throws from freshman Bradi Krager and a bucket from Madalyn Hilgendorf made it 60-49 heading to the final stanza.

After struggling a bit from the field in both the second and third quarters, the Beavers heated up in the fourth by making 9-of-16 attempts from the field and 7-of-8 from the free-throw line to aid in the comeback.  The team, which put up a season-high 27 points in the final frame, scored six straight points in the paint to begin the quarter and used a 9-4 spurt to dwindle the deficit down to eight. 

Bethany Lutheran briefly went back up by double digits at 69-58 before Sidney Reimer and Hilgendorf nailed back-to-back three-point buckets that made it 69-64 midway through the period. The Vikings continued to remain in front by seven with just over three minutes to go, but the Beavers slowly began to chip into that lead. A jumper by Jenna Hallock pulled the team within three with under 45 seconds to play before Krager, who finished with a game and career-high 19 points, made a pair of free-throws to make it a two-point game with 29 ticks to go.

The Vikings, who made just 21-of-37 attempts from the charity stripe in the contest, missed the second of two attempts with 18 seconds on the clock and was rebounded by Krager. The Beavers drove the ball to half court before a timeout was called and just under 13 seconds left. Coming out of the timeout, junior Danika Demers dribbled the ball just past the top of the key before handing it off to Boettcher who took a few dribbles to her right and then went to hoist up a long range attempt but was fouled with less than one second to go. She made all three and finished the game 6-of-7 overall to force an extra five minutes.

In the extra period, the Beavers made 3-of-5 their five field goal attempts, including a big three-point basket from Demers with 57 seconds left that made it 83-80. She was also fouled on the shot but missed the free-throw attempt. The Vikings grabbed the rebound and would get fouled with 48 seconds left, but missed both free-throw opportunities with Demers hauling in her fourth and final rebound. BVU, however, would turn the ball back over on the ensuing possession to give the Vikings a final chance, but the Beavers tightened up on defense and held Bethany Lutheran to a driving basket as time expired.

Krager went 6-of-10 from the field to lead BVU while also draining 9-of-10 at the charity stripe to go along with seven rebounds. Boettcher followed with 14 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals while Hilgendorf and McKenna Cone turned in 13 points apiece. Hallock came off the bench and chipped in with seven points and four rebounds. Demers dished out a team-high four assists to go with her five points.

Buena Vista shot 44.6 percent from the field overall despite being held to 3-of-14 from downtown. The team did make 22-of-29 at the free-throw line, including 7-of-8 in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Beavers buckled down and held Bethany Lutheran to a combined 5-of-18 shooting from field in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Vikings (1-2) shot 38 percent overall and 5-of-28 from distance.

Next up for BVU (1-2) will be a non-conference home game on Tuesday, Nov. 19, against Macalester College (3-1). Tip-off inside of Siebens Fieldhouse is at 5:30 p.m.