By: Colton Steiner

BLUFFTON, Ohio - The Bluffton University women's basketball season kicked off as the Beavers played host to the University of Olivet Comets on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. In a game that went down to the wire, Rachel Clark (Lima/Bath) propelled the Beavers over the Comets after nailing a go-ahead triple with just 15 seconds on the clock as Bluffton came out victorious with a 77-75 win. With the victory, the Beavers start the 25-26 campaign with a 1-0 record. 

After a 5-0 start from Bluffton that included a Lacie Fenstermaker (Pandora-GIlboa) three, the Comets fought back, taking a 13-12 lead following a pair of made free throws with just 3:20 left in the first quarter. Scoring went back and forth as Bluffton came out of the quarter with a 19-17 lead.

The visitors responded with an 11-6 run, going up 30-23 lead before a layup from Fenstermaker made it a two-possession game. It would then be the Beavers turn to find some offense as they closed the half, outscoring the Comets 13-6 for a 38-36 at the break.

It was knotted at 47 apiece before a Rachel Clark three and a Macee Heckathorn (Kenton) layup put Bluffton ahead by five with just under five minutes to play in the third. Olivet trimmed its deficit to one heading into the final quarter as the Beavers held a 54-53 lead.

It was a back-and-forth battle in the fourth quarter, and despite a 6-1 run from the visitors, Bluffton would scramble their way back into the game after Fenstermaker split a pair of free throws and Macee Heckathorn and Karlie Niekamp (Tipp City/Fort Recovery) hit from in close to tie the game at 64-64 with six minutes left in regulation. The battling foes exchanged buckets and after a layup from Olivet with 33 seconds, Rachel Clark dialed long distance as the Beavers went up 77-75 with just 15 seconds to play. While the Comets would get a pair of opportunites under the rim, they were unable to convert as Bluffton held on for a 77-75 win to start the year. 

In a game that had 24 lead changes, Olivet limited Bluffton to 39.5 percent from the field and a 21.1 percent mark from behind the three-point line. Solid defense from the Beavers would force 18 Olivet turnovers that led to 12 points, and it kept the Comets field goal percentage under 50 percent as they would shoot 48.4 percent from the floor and 25 percent from behind the arc. Bluffton took the rebounding battle, 47-39, with a pair of players coming out of the contest with double-doubles.

Madison Brown (Montpelier/North Central) contributed 16 points for the Beavers while adding 11 rebounds and snagging five steals in the contest. Lacie Fenstermaker added 14 with 13 rebounds, chalking up a double-doouble in the first half. Rachel Clark bucketed 12, doling out a game-high five assists and hitting 2-of-4 triples in the contest, including the game-winner. Macee Heckathorn came off the bench and scored a dozen, while Karlie Niekamp added 11 of her own. 

The Beavers will look to carry the momentum into their next contest as they hit the road for the first time of the season to face off against Kalamazoo, another MIAA squad, on Wednesday, Nov. 12 at 7 p.m.

-BEAVERS-