MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Calvin women's basketball team finished an unbeaten opening-weekend with a 79-74 overtime win over Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) at Wisconsin Lutheran College on Saturday afternoon.

Both teams struggled at times in their second game of a back-to-back, but the Knights held control early with a 17-6 opening quarter lead. 

BLC started to get things going offensively in the second quarter, but the Knights still led by double digits (30-19) going into halftime.

The Vikings turned the game around in the third quarter, making four of five attempts from beyond the three-point arc and scoring 28 points to cut the Calvin lead to three at 50-47 going into the fourth quarter.

In the final period, the lead changed hands four different times. The Knights looked to be in control after a pair of Gabby Timmer (Caledonia, Mich./South Christian) free throws with under 30 seconds to play, but the Vikings made a pair of free throws of their own with 11 seconds remaining to tie the game and force overtime.

In the extra period, Calvin trailed 70-69 with just over three minutes to play, but two Sara Nealy (Highlands Ranch, Colo./Valor Christian) made a pair of free throws to give the Knights the 71-70 lead. After a Timmer layup, Nealy pushed the lead to seven with a three-pointer and a pair of free throws in the team's next two possessions to help put the game away.

Timmer finished with a big afternoon in the paint for the Knights, leading all players with 24 points (10-16 field goals, 4-5 free throws) and 13 rebounds. 

Leah Harris (Frisco, Texas/Lone Star) added 19 points and a team-high eight assists, while Sydney Cleary (Middleville, Mich./South Christian) added seven assists and seven points.

Calvin improved to 2-0 on the season with the win, while the Vikings fell to 0-3 in defeat.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Timmer and Harris were named to the Paul F. Knueppel All Tournament Team.

COACH'S COMMENT: "Resilient performance from our group today," Calvin women's basketball head coach Mark Christner said. "Credit to Bethany Lutheran. They did not go away after our quick start. That start probably won us the game. We have a lot of growth still to happen, but we are excited to be heading home with two quality wins."

NEXT UP: Calvin women's basketball will return to action on Friday, November 18, when it travels to University of Chicago to face Colorado College in a game scheduled to tip off at 2:00 PM.