Flames stay in contention, but can’t rally late

OMAHA, Neb. – In contention entering the fourth quarter on Wednesday, College of Saint Mary couldn't quite put together the final 10 minutes it needed to complete the comeback.

Mount Marty University forced 24 CSM turnovers to beat the Flames 71-55 in a Great Plains Athletic Conference basketball matchup at the Lied Fitness Center.

"We didn't handle their pressure well, obviously,'' CSM Coach Natalie Miller said. "But I think our kids did a lot better, as far as shot selection goes and getting the ball moving early. For the most part, I think they did a great job of doing what we talked about in practice.''

Mount Marty improved to 11-16 overall and 5-16 in the GPAC, while CSM dropped to 1-26 and 0-21.

The Flames trailed 51-33 with 3:15 left in the third quarter, but then went on a 10-1 run to close the period. Madelyn Gaughen had five points during that burst, while Meghan Keil added a 3-pointer and Haley Debuse a layup to pull the hosts within 52-43 entering the fourth quarter.

However, they got no closer. They were still down by just 12 with 5:20 remaining, but the Lancers' rebounding edge was too much to overcome. Mount Marty outrebounded CSM 46-37, including 16-2 on the offensive glass.

Maura Tichota was the bright spot in that area, grabbing 10 rebounds, all on the defensive end.

"That's something we've been harping on this season, just getting defensive rebounds and boxing out,'' Miller said. "I definitely saw Maura's intentionality in that.''

CSM got off to a quick start, leading 13-4 through the first 5:34 before the Lancers started to chip away.

Gaughen led the Flames with 19 points and four rebounds, hitting 3 of 5 from 3-point range, while Debuse displayed some nice post work with 12 points to go with three assists.

"We've been trying to get Haley to play off two feet, and she did it,'' Miller said. "We saw a good couple buckets from that. Very happy with just the way they listened and executed in that way.''

Freda Moore added 10 points for the Flames. CSM will conclude its season on Saturday at 2 p.m. with a GPAC matchup with Midland University.