WILLMAR -- It took two overtimes and two hours and 10 minutes to determine a winner on Wednesday evening.
Survivor is more like it.
The Bluejays of Minnesota West finished just in front of Ridgewater in a women's basketball marathon 77-75.
Both teams are 2-4 in the MCAC South, tied for fourth, headed to the second round of division games.
"We shouldn't have lost that one," said sophomore guard Tara Thielke.
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Minnesota West played much of the two extra sessions with four starters on the bench with five fouls.
The difference at the end was a three-point field goal by Breanna Rients with 1:40 left in the second OT.
That put the Bluejays in front 76-73. The Lady Warriors added two free throws by Chelsea Voorhees at 1:18 but got nothing after that. A final possession with 20 seconds left ended on a traveling call.
In regulation, Kari Caspers sank two free throws with 15.1 left for a 58-56 Lady Warriors' lead. But Bluejays center Jerryann Thomas scored underneath off a nifty pass from Rachel Pavelko with 5.1 left to tie.
In the first OT, the Lady Warriors went up 67-66 20 with seconds left on an inbounds play but Ashley Kirk made 1 of 2 free throws to tie with 4.5 left.
Thielke almost won it in the first overtime but her running 25-footer liner bounced hard off the rim.
Thielke, who finished with 13 points and five steals, sat out eight minutes late in the second half after taking a knee to the forward going for a loose ball.
"I was pretty dizzy for a while," she said.
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Caspers, who fouled out in overtime, played one of her best games supplying 11 points and eight rebounds. Voohrees finished with 11 rebounds and 10 points. Danielle Goeman finished with 16 points but Ridgewater shot just 31 percent.
Kirk led the Bluejays with 21 points.
Minn. West 77, Ridge. 75
Mn West (2-4, 6-15) 27 31 9 10 -- 77
Ridgewater(2-4, 7-11) 28 30 9 8 -- 75
MINNESOTA WEST - 25-72 FG (5-11 3-pt); 22-36 FT; 50 rebounds; 27 fouls ... Scoring: Rachel Pavelko 4, Brittany Gravely 9, Breana Rietns 15, Brooke Kuehne 4, Ashley Kirk 21, Jerryann Thomas 12, G. P. Vaske 10, Jenn Donkersloot 2 ... 3-point shots: Rients 2, Gravely 1, Kirk 2 ... Rebound leaders: Thomas 12 ... Assist leaders: Kirk 4 ... Steal leaders: no leader
RIDGEWATER - 25-79 FG (2-11 3-pt); 23-37 FT; 65 rebounds; 25 fouls ... Scoring: Patina Queenan 7, Danielle Goeman 16, Chelsea Voorhees 10, Tara Thielke 13, Alisha Schuerman 6, Alison Mason 8, Kari Caspers 11, Britney Glisczinski 4 ... 3-point shots: Queenan 1, Thielke 1 ... Rebound leaders: Voorhees 11, Caspers 8, Glisczinski 6, Thielke 5 ... Assist leaders: Queenan 4, Thielke 3 ... Steal leaders: Thielke 5
