Late run pushes Buena Vista past Central women
Central College
STORM LAKE—A 9-0 run in the closing minutes let Buena Vista University hold off the Central College women’s basketball team Saturday.
After enduring chilly first-half shooting the Dutch eliminated a 12-point halftime deficit and went up 55-54 when guard Alyssa Schwartz (senior, Titonka, WCLT HS) scored with 3:08 left. But Buena Vista put up nine unanswered points and secured its first Iowa Conference win.
“We played our tails off in the second half to take the lead,” coach Mike Jacobsma said. “We just ran out of gas and didn’t execute enough in the last couple minutes to win it.”
Schwartz had a game-high 16 points and seven rebounds. Forward Nicole Strasko (senior, Roland, Roland-Story HS) had 14 points and seven rebounds. Guard Rachel Evans (sophomore, Fort Dodge) added 10 points while center Bry Pierce (sophomore, St. Clair, Mo.) collected eight rebounds.
Central rebounded from shooting 16.7 percent in the first half to finish at 30.9. Buena Vista shot 34 percent and held a 42-40 edge on the boards. Both teams were generous with the ball as Central committed 24 turnovers and Buena Vista had 23.
The Dutch slipped to 9-10 overall with a 2-6 league mark. Central was a 74-61 winnner over the Beavers Monday night in Pella. Buena Vista improved to 8-11 overall with a 1-7 conference record.
“We didn’t show up in the first half, and that’s not acceptable,” Jacobsma said. “We have to start playing well for 40 minutes, no excuses. It’s time to show up and finish it.”
After playing four games in eight days, Central has a short break before playing host to Coe College Wednesday at P.H. Kuyper Gymnasium. The Kohawks (11-8 overall, 4-4 conference) held off the Dutch for a 46-39 win Jan. 5 at Cedar Rapids. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m.
