STORM LAKE, Iowa (Jan. 21, 2026) - The Buena Vista women's basketball team heated up from the field after an offensive struggle by both teams in the first quarter and outscored visiting Nebraska Wesleyan by 13 in the second half en route to a 64-48 American Rivers Conference victory over the Prairie Wolves.

Each team made five field goals in the first quarter, but NWU came out and shot 33 percent overall while BVU was under 28 percent, and the Prairie Wolves took a slim 12-10 lead to the second. The Beavers were a bit more efficient to close out the half, making 7-of-15 field goal attempts while holding the Prairie Wolves to only 4-of-12. After NWU made a long range shot to go in front by three only two minutes into the period, the Beavers held them scoreless over the next five minutes and used an 11-0 run to build an eight-point cushion of their own at 25-17. NWU would close the half with five straight points and pulled within 27-24 at the break.

The Prairie Wolves cut the Beaver lead down to 34-33 at the 4:01 mark of the third quarter before sophomore Tyme Boettcher scored five straight, including a three-point basket, that pushed the margin back to six with just over two minutes remaining. Fellow sophomore Bradi Krager finished off a three-point play moments later before Boettcher knocked down another three-pointer that gave the Beavers the game's first double-digit lead at 45-35 with 1:05  to go, and that would be the score entering the fourth.

BVU finished the game strong by shooting 6-of-10 from the field in the final quarter, including 2-of-4 from downtown. The Prairie Wolves nailed a three-pointer 90 seconds into the quarter for its only make over the first five minutes. The team shot just 5-of-17 over the final 10 minutes with two of those makes coming from behind the arc. BVU's lead reached as many as 22 after a made long range bucket by freshman Maddy Raveling with under 5:00 to play.

Boettcher finished 8-of-14 shooting and led all scorers with 18 points. She went 2-of-5 from beyond the arc and also hauled in seven rebounds. Junior Mary Walker was 6-of-10 from the field and 4-of-7 at the free-throw line and added 17 points to go along with her six assists. Krager chipped in with 16 points and five boards.

Buena Vista shot 43 percent from the field overall despite making only 6-of-21 from downtown. The team capitalized on its free-throw opportunities by sinking 8-of-12 compared to just 4-of-8 for NWU. The Beavers held a slim 38-36 edge on the glass and in second chance points (11-9)

Peyton Tritz led the Prairie Wolves with 13 points while Anastyn Pettlon added 11. Both players each made three shots from downtown. 

BVU improves to 10-7 on the year (4-4 A-R-C). It marks the first time since the 2017-18 season that the Beavers have won double-digit  games. The four league wins are also the most since it went 5-11 in 2021-22.

Up next is a trip to Central College on Saturday, Jan. 24, where BVU will look to avenge a 78-61 loss to the Dutch back on Dec. 6. Tip-off has been pushed back to 5 p.m. as Central is also host to the A-R-C Women's Wrestling Individual Tournament earlier in the day.