FOREST CITY, Iowa – Despite an outstanding effort, College of Saint Mary's bid for a Great Plains Athletic Conference road victory on Saturday was denied, as Brooke Dial's 3-pointer with 2.9 seconds left sent Waldorf University past the Flames 73-72 at Hanson Fieldhouse.

"I'm really happy with our level of discipline, and seeing that we can fight for 40 minutes, so it was definitely encouraging,'' CSM Coach Natalie Miller said.

Waldorf improved to 5-13 overall and 3-10 in GPAC play with the dramatic win, while CSM dropped to 1-18 and 0-13.

With 20 seconds remaining, Haley Debuse made 1 of 2 free throws to give CSM a 72-70 lead. Dial's driving shot missed, but Alyah Abrahamson rebounded and fed Charlotte Mills, who missed a 3. Abrahamson rebounded again and got it to Dial on the right wing, and she buried the 3 with 2.9 seconds left. Dial then stole the inbounds pass to seal the win.

CSM put together some strong stretches of play in the first half, building its biggest lead at 30-15 on Ella Klusman's 3-point basket with 5:56 left in the second quarter.

However, Waldorf chipped away at the deficit, and the teams traded leads down the stretch. Klusman sank two free throws with 28 seconds left for a 71-68 lead, but Dial answered with two free throws to cut it to one. Then Debuse split her free throws, setting the stage for Dial's game winner. Dial finished with 27 points.

"Offensive rebounds and missed free throws cost us the game,'' Miller said. Waldorf had 14 offensive rebounds, and the Flames were 12 of 20 (60%) at the line.

The Flames placed four players in double figures. Debuse led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Madelyn Gaughen turned in a terrific all-around game with 14 points, 13 rebounds and five assists. Maura Tichota also had a great floor game with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Jazmyne Villalobos added 11 points, four rebounds and three assists.

"Jazzy did a great job,'' Miller said. "It was probably her best game offensively. She did a great job attacking the zone and creating for us.''

CSM returns to action Wednesday at home with a 6 p.m. GPAC game against Concordia University.