LAMONI, Iowa – The Ottawa University women's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season with an 81-70 victory over Graceland University on Saturday afternoon at Morden Center. The Braves used a balanced offensive attack, with four players scoring in double figures, and a strong fourth-quarter performance to secure their first victory of the season.
Miranda Patterson led Ottawa with 20 points, shooting 8-for-14 from the floor and connecting on two 3-pointers.
Dominique Schutte added 16 points,
McKinley Kruger finished with 15 points and four assists, and
Clare Williams contributed 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds.
Ottawa (1-0) shot 48.4 percent from the floor and outscored Graceland 27-21 in the fourth quarter to pull away for the 11-point victory.
First Quarter: Ottawa 19, Graceland 16
The Braves started quickly, taking a 6-2 lead behind baskets from Williams, Kruger, and
Sydney Kessler. Graceland responded to tie the contest at 6-6 before Schutte put Ottawa back in front with a jumper.
Kruger connected on a 3-pointer with 4:17 remaining to give the Braves an 11-8 advantage. Williams followed with a layup off an assist from Kruger, extending Ottawa's lead to five points.
Graceland battled back and took a 16-15 lead with 1:30 remaining. However, the Braves closed the quarter with four unanswered points. Kessler connected on a jumper with 50 seconds left, and Williams scored with two seconds remaining to give Ottawa a 19-16 lead after one quarter.
Second Quarter: Ottawa 35, Graceland 27
Ottawa continued to build its advantage in the second quarter, using a strong defensive effort to hold Graceland to just 11 points.
Patterson connected on a 3-pointer at the 8:15 mark to extend Ottawa's lead to 22-18. She followed with a layup, and
Kiana Hostetler knocked down two free throws to give the Braves a 26-18 advantage.
Addisen Wills scored inside, and Schutte added two free throws as Ottawa pushed its lead to 30-18 with 4:08 remaining in the half.
The Yellowjackets cut into the lead, but Williams answered with a layup, and Schutte connected on a 3-pointer with 20 seconds remaining. Graceland hit a three just before halftime, sending the Braves into the locker room with a 35-27 advantage.
Ottawa outscored Graceland 16-11 in the quarter, limiting the Yellowjackets to 26.7 percent shooting from the field.
Third Quarter: Ottawa 54, Graceland 49
Graceland attempted to close the gap in the third quarter, but Ottawa continued to answer with timely baskets.
Kruger opened the Braves' scoring in the second half with a layup. After Graceland cut the deficit to four points, Hostetler scored inside, and Schutte connected on a 3-pointer to push Ottawa's lead to 42-35.
Patterson added a layup, and Wills knocked down a 3-pointer with 4:39 remaining to give the Braves a 47-37 advantage, their largest lead of the quarter.
The Yellowjackets responded with a run, trimming the Ottawa lead to 52-49 in the final minute. However, Hostetler came away with a steal, and Williams converted a layup with 14 seconds remaining to give the Braves a 54-49 advantage entering the fourth quarter.
Graceland outscored Ottawa 22-19 in the period, but the Braves maintained their lead heading into the final 10 minutes.
Fourth Quarter: Ottawa 81, Graceland 70
The Braves saved their best offensive quarter for last, scoring 27 points and shooting 66.7 percent from the field to secure the season-opening victory.
Schutte opened Ottawa's fourth-quarter scoring with a layup, and Patterson followed with consecutive baskets to extend the Braves' advantage to 60-54 with 8:05 remaining.
Patterson continued to make an impact, scoring another layup with 6:27 left to give Ottawa a 63-56 lead. Kruger followed with two free throws to extend the advantage to eight points.
Graceland continued to battle, cutting Ottawa's lead to 65-61 with 4:27 remaining. The Braves responded with consecutive baskets from Schutte and Hostetler to regain an eight-point advantage, 69-61.
The Yellowjackets pulled within five points, 73-68, with 2:01 remaining, but Patterson delivered one of the biggest shots of the contest, connecting on a 3-pointer with 1:32 left to extend Ottawa's lead to 76-68.
The Braves closed out the game at the free-throw line. Kruger converted two attempts with 27 seconds remaining, and Schutte added two more with 19 seconds left to seal the 81-70 victory.
Ottawa outscored Graceland 27-21 in the final quarter to improve to 1-0 on the season.
Inside the Box Score
- Miranda Patterson led the Braves with 20 points on 8-for-14 shooting, including 2-for-5 from behind the arc. She also collected six rebounds and blocked one shot.
- Dominique Schutte finished with 16 points, four rebounds, and two assists. She shot 5-for-9 from the field, 2-for-5 from three-point range, and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free-throw line.
- McKinley Kruger scored 15 points, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out a team-high four assists. She was 6-for-6 from the free-throw line.
- Clare Williams added 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. She also recorded one assist and one blocked shot.
- Kiana Hostetler provided eight points, five rebounds, two assists, and a team-high two steals off the bench.
- Addisen Wills contributed five points, three rebounds, and one assist.
- Sydney Kessler finished with four points, four rebounds, two assists, and one blocked shot.
- Ottawa shot 48.4 percent (30-for-62) from the field, compared to Graceland's 40.9 percent (27-for-66).
- The Braves connected on six 3-pointers and finished 15-for-25 (60 percent) from the free-throw line.
- Ottawa held a 35-34 advantage on the boards.
- The Braves outscored Graceland 42-38 in the paint.
- Ottawa scored 20 points off Graceland's 12 turnovers, while the Yellowjackets managed just four points off Ottawa's nine turnovers.
- The Braves recorded 12 assists, three blocked shots, and two steals.
- Ottawa shot 66.7 percent from the field in the fourth quarter, making eight of its 12 attempts.
- Graceland was led by Sariah Bradley, who finished with 26 points and 13 rebounds. Malaina Hackley added 20 points.
Who is Next
Ottawa (1-0) will now compete in the Heart/KCAC Classic on Friday, Oct. 30 and Saturday, Oct. 31. OU will play Benedictine College on Friday at Baldwin City (4pm) and Baker University on Saturday at Atchison (12pm).
