MARION, Ind. -- A three point attempt at the horn for the Indiana Wesleyan University women's basketball team fell short as visiting Bethel (Ind.) College escaped Luckey Arena on Wednesday evening with a 64-61 victory.

Indiana Wesleyan raced out to a quick 12-2 advantage in the game's first four minutes. Senior guard Andrea Fichter paced the Wildcats in that time with eight points, including a pair of 3-point baskets.

IWU freshman center Krystal Stoneking would later hit back-to-back buckets as the Wildcats extended their lead to 21-6 with 11:38 left in the opening period.

Bethel responded by scoring 20 of the next 22 points to erase the 15 point deficit and capture their first lead of the night at 26-23 with 4:45 before intermission.

Indiana Wesleyan (6-4, 1-1 MCC) completed a mini 6-2 run to end the half with a 29-28 lead.

The Wildcats opened the second half by taking a 39-33 lead. Bethel would respond with 10 consecutive points to maintain a 43-39 lead with 10:06 to play.

The Pilots held the advantage for the next seven minutes but Indiana Wesleyan tied the scored 57-57 via three straight possessions with 3-point baskets, the last two by Fichter.

Indiana Wesleyan led 59-58 until Bethel's Heather Seyfred drilled a 3-pointer with 1:23 left to give the Pilots a 61-59 advantage. IWU tied the score on their next possession as sophomore forward Elaine Hessel hit a runner in the lane with 53 seconds on the clock.

Bethel (6-3, 2-0 MCC) retook the lead as Amber Peters made a difficult shot with 34 seconds left as Bethel led 63-61. Indiana Wesleyan turned the ball over and fouled with nine seconds to play. Kelsey McKee hit one of two free throws for a 64-61 Bethel lead.

Indiana Wesleyan still had one final shot to tie the score. Sophomore forward Kayla Thompson found a wide open Fichter in the corner. Her shot was up as the buzzer sounded but fell short of the goal.

Four Wildcats ended the night in double figures, led by Hessel and Fichter with 18 points a piece. Hessel added a team-high seven rebounds. Stoneking contributed 12 points on 6-of-7 shooting off the bench and Thompson poured in 11.

Bethel was led by Amanda Peter's double-double of 14 points and 19 rebounds.

Both teams shot 40.4-percent from the field but Bethel had a huge advantage at the free throw line taking 24 attempts to IWU's eight.

Indiana Wesleyan returns to action this weekend as the Wildcats partake in the Cornerstone Tournament in Grand Rapids, Michigan.