OLIVET, Mich. - The University of Olivet Comets hit a desperation shot from half court at the buzzer for a stunning 79-78 victory over the Bluffton University women in the 2024-25 season opener on Friday, Nov. 8. Bluffton starts 0-1 on the year, while Olivet stands 1-0.
The visitors led 73-61 with four minutes to play when Olivet started chipping away at its 12-point deficit. The Comets scored 11 straight, making it 73-72 before three Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) freebies pushed it back to four points (76-72) with 20 seconds on the clock.
Kayla Prigge (Hamler/Patrick Henry) and Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) both split a pair of foul shots while Lily Connelly hit back-to-back layups, making it 78-76 Bluffton with just a few ticks remaining. Connelly continued her reign of terror, hitting from half court at the buzzer for a stunning 79-78 win on Friday night. She bucketed seven points in the final 13 seconds.
Bluffton's offense was clicking on all cylinders in the first half as the Beavers scored 24 in the first period and 20 in quarter 2 en route to a 44-37 lead at the break. Prigge was on fire, draining 5-of-6 triples on the way to 15 first-half points. Junior Lacie Fenstermaker (Leipsic/Pandora-Gilboa) pounded away inside, knocking down 14 points off the bench in the opening half.
The Beavers managed just 10 points in the third stanza as Olivet knotted the game 54-54 heading to the fourth quarter. Alexis Stevely (Marion/Wynford) and Kyla Columber (Marion/Pleasant) both bucketed threes in the third quarter, accounting for six of the 10 points.
Back-to-back Prigge bombs followed by three Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) buckets helped push the Bluffton advantage to 73-61 before the Beaver offense dried up.
Prigge's 27 points established a new career high for the senior. She came up just one three shy of the school record, drilling 7-of-9 from beyond the arc. Brown more than tripled her career best with 18 points, sinking 8-for-9 at the stripe. Fenstermaker was an efficient 5-of-9 for 17 counters.
Fenstermaker ripped down a team-high 11 boards for her 3rd career double double. Prigge added five rebounds and five steals to her 27 markers.
Bluffton went just 25-of-62 from the field (40.3 percent), but the Beavers cashed in for 10 triples on just 18 shots from outside the arc (55.6 percent). Olivet pulled down seven more rebounds (38-31), but they also turned it over five more times (21-16). The home team dominated Bluffton with a 38-20 points in the paint advantage.
The Beavers are back on the road with a trip to Kenyon College on Tuesday, Nov. 12. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. in Gambier, Ohio.
-BEAVERS-