RIGNELL’S BUZZER BEATER SENDS BRAVES HOME WITH SECOND LOSS OF SEASON

Lindsborg, Kan. – The Bethany College Swedes Women's Basketball team played host to the Ottawa University Braves for the second game of a three-game homestand.

Bethany got off to a rocket start with a 24-11 first period. The second quarter was sloppy on both sides as there were more turnovers than field goals made in the period, but the Swedes would win the quarter 12-10 to extend their lead to 15 at the break.

To open the second half, the Swedes were unable to convert opportunity to points as they only made two field goals on 17 attempts. This would leave the door open for the Braves to make a comeback, and that they did. Ottawa would climb back into the contest to tie it at 38-38 with 2:28 left in the quarter. The Swedes would close out the period on a 6-2 run that would spill into the fourth quarter where they would take just over three minutes to build their lead back to double-digits following a Becca Unruh made layup.

That would not be enough to erase the hopes of a win for the Braves as they would again chip away at the Swedes' lead until ultimately tying the contest 63-63 with just five seconds left. Head Coach Sarah Able would call her last timeout to draw up a play to try and prevent going into overtime. The Swedes would inbound the ball to Colbi Rignell who would drive to the paint, pump fake, and hit her classic turnaround jumper to win the ball game 65-63. The referees would review the shot, but there was no doubt from the fans that it was game over.

Janae Black-Harmon would score a game-high 17 point, secure 16 rebounds, and swat three shots for her best game of the season. Colbi Rignell would tack on 16 points, and Becca Unruh would score 12 points while dishing out five assists and to steals, both team-highs.

Neither team shot an impressive shooting percentage, but the Swedes would that battle shooting 35.4% compared to the Braves 27.5%. Ottawa shoots the most three-pointers in the conference, and they showed that today as they went 10 of 39 (25.6%) from downtown.

Up Next…

The Swedes have one more home contest this calendar year, and who better than our rivals from down Old Highway 81, the McPherson College Bulldogs. Tipoff is set for 6:00 PM on Wednesday, December 13, in Ray D. Hahn Gymnasium.

~#RockarStockar~