HESSTON, Kan. — Hesston College women’s basketball put together a strong late push but couldn’t overcome a big third-quarter run by Southwestern, falling 81–63 on Monday night at Yost Center.
The Larks opened the first quarter with confident perimeter shooting and balanced scoring, keeping pace as Southwestern built an early 6–0 lead. Brooke Bettis knocked down a jumper to get Hesston going, and Akiva Brown added a pair of early buckets as the Larks pulled within 10–7 midway through the period. Hesston continued trading baskets and briefly tied the game at 14–14 after a jumper from Brown and an assist from Jenna Avery, but Southwestern hit timely shots to take a 22–18 lead after the first.
Offensive rhythm stalled in the second quarter as the Larks were held to 10 points. Anna McIntire provided a spark with four points in the frame, including two strong finishes inside, while Bettis and Keira Pineda added key baskets. Despite Hesston’s defensive effort and seven first-half steals, Southwestern carried a 42–28 advantage into halftime.
The third quarter proved decisive as Southwestern used a 25-point frame to extend its lead. Hesston found offense from Sarah Beltran, who knocked down two threes in the period, and McIntire continued to attack inside, but the visitors stretched the margin to 67–43 heading into the fourth.
Hesston showed grit in the final ten minutes, outscoring Southwestern 20–14 behind improved ball movement and outside shooting. Beltran connected again from deep, Bettis added a late three, and McIntire powered in another bucket to finish in double figures. But the early deficit proved too large to overcome as Southwestern closed out the win.
Beltran led the Larks with 15 points on five made threes while adding seven assists. McIntire delivered an efficient 11 points with seven rebounds, and Bettis finished with eight points, four rebounds and three assists. Brown contributed across the board with seven rebounds, five points, three steals and three assists. Hesston recorded 20 assists on 24 made field goals and shot 39 percent from beyond the arc.
The Larks will take a break for the holidays before hitting the road on Dec. 1 to take on NCAA Division II opponent Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. at 5 p.m.
