Clinging to a three-point lead, Buena Vista turned the ball over with 16.7 seconds remaining in the game. Needing a three-point shot to tie the contest, Wartburg passed the ball around the perimeter but did not get an open look. Lee Nelson nudged between two defenders to launch a 25 footer with three seconds remaining. The shot caromed off and Jesse Schmidt pulled down the rebound to seal the Beaver victory.
Wartburg had battled back from a 15 point deficit early in the second half and tied the game 60-60 with just under five minutes to play. Buena Vista answered with points on its next four consecutive possessions and never allowed the Knights to take the lead.
Rahn Franklin led the Beavers with 14 points and five assists. The only other player to crack double figures was Andre Wagner, who came off the bench with 10 points. Brian Fogleman pulled down seven boards and Schmidt had six rebounds and three steals.
Wartburg was led by Nate Schmidt who registered a game-high 28 points and a team-high five rebounds. Rance Cartmill and Nick Gullickson each chipped in ten points apiece as the Knights failed to clinch a share of the conference title.
Although Wartburg held a 37-32 rebounding advantage and a 42.6-40.4 shooting percentage advantage, Buena Vista’s defense worked hard, stealing the ball 11 times. The Beavers also made five more free throws than the Knights.
Buena Vista, now 11-13 on the season and 9-6 in the IIAC, will host a first round Iowa Conference tournament game on Tuesday, February 21 at 8 p.m. The Beavers could finish third or fourth in the conference depending on Saturday's results.
Wartburg fell to 18-5 on the year and 11-4 in the league. The Knights could receive the first, second, or a third seed in the conference tournament, depending on Saturday's results.
Buena Vista will close out the regular season by hosting the University of Dubuque on Saturday, February 18.
Wartburg College vs Buena Vista University 2/15/06 8:00 at Storm Lake, IA At Siebens Fieldhouse BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY 68, WARTBURG COLLEGE 65 WARTBURG COLLEGE (18-5, 11-4 IIAC) SCHMIDT, Nate 10-20 8-8 28; CARTMILL, Rance 3-7 2-4 10; GULLICKSON, Nick 3-8 3-3 10; STEEGE, Jason 3-6 0-0 9; PETERSON, Cassidy 2-3 0-0 4; FORMANEK, Joel 1-1 0-0 2; NELSON, Lee 1-3 0-0 2; SCHMITT, Brad 0-0 0-0 0; VOGEL, Ben 0-0 0-0 0; MASON, Cashes 0-2 0-0 0; STARK, Dan 0-0 0-2 0; MENKE, James 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 23-54 13-17 65. BUENA VISTA UNIVERSITY (11-13, 9-6 IIAC) FRANKLIN, Rahn 4-9 6-7 14; WAGNER, Andre 4-8 1-3 10; WITTRY, Matt 2-2 2-2 8; FOGLEMAN, Brian 3-6 2-5 8; JOEKEL, Mark 3-7 0-0 7; HOLTON, Eric 2-3 0-0 6; BISSEN, Jeff 2-5 1-1 6; SCHMIDT, Jesse 0-4 5-6 5; GRIMM, Nolan 1-4 0-0 3; FRANCIC, Nesha 0-1 1-2 1; PERSON, Travis 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-52 18-26 68. Wartburg College.............. 28 37 - 65 Buena Vista University........ 39 29 - 68 3-point goals-Wartburg College 6-21 (STEEGE, Jason 3-6; CARTMILL, Rance 2-4; GULLICKSON, Nick 1-2; NELSON, Lee 0-2; MASON, Cashes 0-1; MENKE, James 0-4; SCHMIDT, Nate 0-2), Buena Vista University 8-23 (HOLTON, Eric 2-2; WITTRY, Matt 2-2; WAGNER, Andre 1-3; BISSEN, Jeff 1-2; JOEKEL, Mark 1-5; GRIMM, Nolan 1-3; PERSON, Travis 0-2; SCHMIDT, Jesse 0-1; FRANKLIN, Rahn 0-3). Fouled out--Wartburg College-None, Buena Vista University-None. Rebounds-Wartburg College 37 (SCHMIDT, Nate 5), Buena Vista University 32 (FOGLEMAN, Brian 7). Assists-Wartburg College 12 (NELSON, Lee 3; SCHMIDT, Nate 3), Buena Vista University 12 (FRANKLIN, Rahn 5). Total fouls-Wartburg College 21, Buena Vista University 18. A-900