Five players scored in double figures for the Buena Vista women's basketball team on Monday night, as the team built a 24-point, second-half lead en route to a commanding 87-69 triumph over Martin Luther College.  The game was the home opener for BVU this season.

Senior Jessica Christensen (Turin, Iowa/West Monona) turned in her second double-double of the year, scoring 15 points, including three long-range buckets, while grabbing 16 rebounds, including seven offensive.  She also chipped in with five assists and two steals.  Fellow senior Laura Hilby (Johnston, Iowa/Johnston), along with sophomore Susan Kies (Fonda, Iowa/Newell-Fonda), connected on four three-point shots, to finish with 17 and 14 points, respectively.  Kies also dished out a team-high six assists, to go along with three steals.  Senior Amanda Roder (Remsen, Iowa/Remsen St. Mary's) and sophomore Malarie Gilley (Grand Junction, Iowa/East Greene) were also in double-digits with 12 and 10 points respectively.

As a team, the Beavers shot 45.6 percent from the field for the game, including 50 percent in the second half.  They made 12-of-21 attempts from beyond the arc.

BVU broke an 8-8 tie early on with an 11-4 spurt to take a seven-point lead with 11 minutes left in the first half.  Gilley extended the margin to 11 with a bucket just before the three-minute mark, as the Beavers took a 40-31 lead into the break.

The lead was still at nine until junior Brooke Wehle's (Denison, Iowa/Denison-Schleswig) jumper with just less than 15 minutes to go, and the Beavers kept the advantage in double-digits the rest of the way.  A free-throw by Hilby pushed it to 17 two minutes later before Gilley's basket midway through the period gave the team its largest lead of the game.  The Knights never got any closer than 17 from there.

Erica Babinec led all scorers with 22 points for Martin Luther (1-2), as Amanda Burk turned in her third double-double in as many games with 13 points and 11 boards.

With the win, Buena Vista improves to 3-1 on the year and will look to make it four straight wins when it takes the floor this Friday afternoon, November 25, for a neutral-site contest against Grand View University on day one of the Simpson College Classic.  Tip-off against the Vikings is scheduled for 5:00pm.