ARDEN HILLS, MINN—Bethel University's women's basketball team defeated No. 12-ranked UW-River Falls in a thrilling 89-85 overtime game Tuesday evening. The Royals (3-1, 0-0 MIAC) battled the Falcons (2-2, 0-0 WIAC) evenly throughout the entire contest, but pulled away at the very end—outscoring their opponent 10-4 in the final minute—and secured the four-point victory.
Bethel led by nine with 5:05 remaining in the fourth quarter, but UW-River Falls went on a 16-6 run and took a one-point lead with eight seconds left in regulation.
Kalli Zimmermann managed to draw a foul, though, and made one of two free throws to force overtime.
The two opponents traded buckets in OT until the score was 79-79 at the 3:30 mark, but BU composed a 10-4 run over the next two minutes and created just enough separation to defeat the Falcons—a team that reached the round of 32 in last year's NCAA Division III Tournament.
The Royals outrebounded UW-River Falls 43-34, including a 17-11 advantage in offensive boards. That margin helped BU outscore the Falcons 13-5 in second-chance points. The other significant differentiator between the two teams was Bethel's 11-of-22 shooting from outside the 3-point line, compared to UW-RF, who finished 1-of-5.
Kalli Zimmermann finished with a team-high 20 points on 6-of-11 shooting, alongside four rebounds, three assists, three steals, and two blocks. Joining her in double figures was
Taite Anderson,
Angie Kirchoff, and
Jasmin Bretoi.
Taite Anderson recorded her second career double-double, as the freshman finished Tuesday's game with 19 points, 11 boards, three assists, three steals, and three blocks. Kirchoff went 3-of-4 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from outside the arc, and 6-of-6 from the free throw line for 14 points, while Bretoi went 4-of-8 from downtown for 12 points. Also performing well was
Hannah Johnson, who tallied eight points, 10 rebounds, and four blocks in 24 minutes played.
As a team, BU shot 25-of-57 from the floor (43.9 percent) and 11-of-22 (50.0 percent) from downtown. Bethel also got to the free throw line an impressive 38 times, converting 28-of-38 attempts (73.7 percent).
The Royals' next game in the 2016-17 schedule is their MIAC opener at home against St. Olaf College on Wednesday, November 30. Tipoff between BU and the Oles is scheduled for 7 p.m.
