NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — The Bethel College women's basketball team earned one of its biggest wins of the season Saturday afternoon, knocking off No. 17-ranked Evangel, 81–79, in overtime inside Thresher Gym. Evangel entered the contest undefeated in KCAC play, but Bethel answered with grit, execution, and timely playmaking to secure the statement victory.

With the win, Bethel improves to 15–7 overall and 12–4 in conference play. The Threshers remain tied for third place in the KCAC with Bethany — a team Bethel holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over — and sit just one game back of Friends for second place in the standings.

The afternoon belonged to the Locke twins, who were instrumental on both ends of the floor. Karlee Locke led all scorers with 22 points and added eight rebounds, consistently finishing through contact in the paint and coming up with key defensive stops late. Kendall Locke delivered a historic performance, finishing with 13 points, 15 assists, and six steals while controlling the tempo for all 42 minutes she was on the floor.

In the process, Kendall rewrote the Bethel record book — breaking her own single-season records for assists and steals, tying the program's all-time steals record, and setting a new single-game assists record with 15

Bethel also received major scoring contributions from Madyson McKinzie and Alayna Vines, who each finished with 16 points. McKinzie attacked the basket relentlessly, while Vines provided a crucial spark off the bench, scoring efficiently and coming up big during overtime.

The game saw multiple lead changes and physical play throughout regulation, with neither team able to pull away. Bethel forced overtime with late execution and then outscored Evangel 8–6 in the extra period, sealing the win with composure at the free-throw line and a late bucket inside.

Bethel now turns its attention to the road, traveling to Sterling on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 6:00 PM as the Threshers continue their push near the top of the KCAC standings.