Randy Bissen tallied a double-double to lead the home team to the triumph. He poured in 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Buena Vista shot 42 percent from the floor, led by Bissen's five for eight effort.
Michael Cameron led all scorers with 19 points as Buena Vista capitalized off of a 13-0 run to begin the game. Cameron was nine of ten from the free throw line as the Beavers shot 21 of 29 from the charity stripe.
UW-La Crosse, which cut the deficit to 65-60 with just over a minute remaining in the game, received a team-high 13 points from Chris Ask. Joe Werner tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds and Marcus Conigliaro added 11 points.
Buena Vista seized a 13-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game. UW-La Crosse then went on a 15-4 spurt to pull within 17-15. The Beavers, behind 50 percent three point shooting in the first half, pulled away to a 33-26 halftime advantage.
Buena Vista went on a 9-2 scoring run to open the second half. UW-La Crosse trailed by 13 as late as with 3:30 left in the game, but managed to cut the margin to 65-60. Buena Vista iced the game with tough defense and accurate free throw shooting.
The victory was the ninth consecutive home opener that the Beavers have won. The squad has now won 19 straight games when holding its opponents to under 70 points.
Buena Vista returns to action on Saturday by hosting UW-Eau Claire at 7:00 pm. UW-La Crosse travels to Coe College tomorrow night.