Holenka's career-high leads Bison to win, 87-61

Andrew Woodley, Sports Information Director

MARIETTA, Ohio (Nov. 26) - Led by a career-high 36 points from senior Hayley Holenka (Shadyside, Ohio/Shadyside), the Bethany College Women's Basketball team picked up an 87-61 win over North Carolina Wesleyan Saturday night at the Marietta Jim Meagle Turkey Shoot.

The win propels the Bison to 2-1 overall, while the Battling Bishops fall to 3-1 this season.

Holenka was on fire for Bethany. She led three players in double-figures with a career-best 36 points on 10-of-15 from the field (67 percent), while adding eight rebounds and three steals in the win.

Junior forward Kelsea Daugherty (Newport, Ohio/Frontier) tallied 23 points, while classmate Maclaine Murad (Bridgeport, Ohio/Bridgeport) added 15 points in the win.

A layup with with 1:37 left in the first quarter by North Carolina Wesleyan's Nadiya Holley gave the Battling Bishops a 15-13 lead, before the Bison rolled off 10-straight points to take a 23-15 advantage less than two minutes into the second period.

North Carolina Wesleyan trimmed the Bethany lead to five, 27-22, with just over five minutes until halftime, but the Green & White did not allow the Bishops to get any closer. The Bison closed out the half on a 14-6 run, shooting 6-for-8 in the process, to take a 39-26 lead entering the locker rooms.

Both team's went basket-for-basket in the third quarter, with each team scoring 22 points, sending the Bison into the fourth quarter with a 61-48 advantage.

The Green & White pulled away for good in the final period. They outscored North Carolina Wesleyan 26-13 and held the Bishops to 4-for-17 shooting from the field to secure the victory.

Bethany ended the game shooting 50 percent from the field (27-for-53), including a 55 percent performance from long range (11-for-20).

Junior forward Kelsi Settle (Sebring, Ohio/Sebring) led the team on the glass with 11 rebounds and added five assists in the win.

North Carolina Wesleyan was led by Alexis Fitzgerald, who scored 15 points.

The Bison will look to claim the Jim Meagle Turkey Shoot Title when they face host Marietta tomorrow, Sunday, November 26 at 3 p.m. Fans can follow or watch the game by visiting the women's basketball schedule page on BethanyBison.com