EUGENE, Ore. – In her first game of the season, sophomore Jenna Christenson drained a three-pointer with less than two seconds remaining in regulation and the Beacons took an 82-75 overtime win against Simpson University on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Redhawks opened the game strong, going on a 12-0 run to begin the game as the NCU offense wasn't able to convert on multiple trips down the floor. Simpson held a 19-13 lead at the end of the first quarter after shooting 8-for-11. They continued to hold a 36-29 advantage at the intermission.
 
The Beacons slowly but steadily erased their deficit throughout the second half, tying the game early in the fourth quarter before taking their first lead of the game, 53-51 on a three-pointer from Monique Thompson with 5:21 remaining.
 
A 9-2 run for Simpson saw the visitors take back a five-point lead and with 23 seconds remaining the Redhawks were ahead 65-60. Jeni Hoffert posted a three-pointer to bring it to within two. SU then converted one of two free throw attempts to claim the three-point lead that disappeared on Christenson's equalizer.
 
Christenson opened the overtime period with another three-pointer, her fourth of the game, and NCU owned the extra frame, outscoring Simpson 16-9.
 
The Beacons shot just 39% in the game and were hovering just above 50% at the free-throw line but a 42-39 rebounding edge, which included 18 on the offensive glass, help the team overcome a poor night shooting.
 
Simpson shot 43% but had 22 turnovers which led to eight steals for NCU.
 
NCU (3-4) was led by Thompson who finished with 27 points on 10-for-20 shooting. She added six rebounds and four assists. Christenson ended up with a career-high 16 points, shooting 4-for-5 from downtown. Niki Duncan played nearly 40 minutes on Saturday and finished with seven points while leading the Beacons with seven rebounds and four steals.
 
Simpson (5-9) had 20 points apiece from Esther Wofford and Kelsie Jurin. Whitney Rodriguez scored 12 points and led all players with eight rebounds.
 
Head Coach Heath Alexander said, "Our kids really battled tonight. Things did not go well for us early but we were able to keep fighting and finish a great game against a very good team. Jenna made huge shots for us along with Jeni and Niki down the stretch. Monique had a great game and once again did what we needed her to do.
 
The Beacons will be back on the court on Friday night when they welcome in Oregon Tech at 5:30 p.m. to begin the Cascade Collegiate Conference schedule.