BISMARCK, N.D. - After holding a 19-point lead, the University of Sioux Falls women's basketball team suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 62-58 at the University of Mary on Saturday evening. The Cougars' first loss drops them to 8-1 overall with a 4-1 mark in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference competition.
At halftime, USF held a 14-point advantage over the Marauders (5-6, 3-2 NSIC), 43-29, and a 49-30 lead with 17 minutes remaining in the game, but it wouldn't hold. Taylor Varsho scored a game-high 18 points for USF, but she and the Cougars were just 6-of-35 from the field in the second half.
U-Mary shot 45.8 percent in the second half and closed the game on a 32-9 run over the final 17 minutes of the game. The Cougars missed opportunities to halt the UM run with 25 free throw attempts, but the Cougars managed to connect on only 13 attempts, including 3-of-10 in the second half.
The Cougars raced out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back in the first half. Varsho reeled off eight quick points for the Cougars, converting a pair of three-point attempts in the opening minutes. USF's lead never dipped below three points until Brittney Dietz hit one of her two 3-pointers at the 12:58 point of the first half.
Answering quickly, Sioux Falls score six quick points capped off by a Jaicee Ulmer three-point field goal, but Dietz stopped that run too with her second 3-pointer. Dietz would be one of four Marauders to finish with double figures in scoring at 13. Amber Paden and Alyson Johnsen led a charge to a 10-point advantage at 27-17 a couple minutes later.
Marie Malloy hit her second three, which pushed the lead to 12 points, and Varsho followed a Paden layup with two free throws for their largest first-half lead of 16 points, 35-19. Varsho stopped any first-period comeback by the Marauders with two late layups and brought the Cougars into the intermission with a 43-29 lead.
Sam Knecht seemed sure of keeping the lead for the Cougars as she connected on three straight layup attempts in first three minutes of the second half, forcing U-Mary to take a timeout down 49-30 with 17:08 remaining in the game.
The Marauders slowly began their comeback as the Cougars' shooting cooled off. Dietz scored four points and Sloan Turner capped off a 10-0 run by U-Mary with a layup at the 14-minute mark. Johnsen stopped the UM run with her jumper on the next trip, but it was the last time the Cougars would make a field goal for over seven minutes.
With the lead at double digits for USF, 51-40, the Maraduers would tie it at 52-52 after five straight Rachel Weir points and then took their first lead of the game, 54-52, when Sloan converted her layup attempt with 6:19 remaining.
Varsho snapped the Cougar scoring drought then retook the lead for USF with a pair layups -- the second came with 3:19 left in the half to give Sioux Falls a 56-54 lead. U-Mary tied it up with another Sloan layup and Haley Hibbs would give the Marauders a lead they wouldn't relinquish with a 3-pointer from the left wing.
HIbbs pushed the lead to four, 60-56, after a pair of missed free throws by the Cougars with a free throw of her own. Ulmer cut the UM lead in half with two free throws of her own and Malloy got the Cougars the ball back with a chance to tie or win after she forced an offensive foul/turnover the next Marauder possession.
Varsho's three-point attempt with eight seconds remaining fell out of bounds and Dani Williams sank both free throws after USF was forced to foul and the Cougars were handed a 62-58 defeate for their first loss of the season.
Sioux Falls returns home to take on Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday, Dec. 20 at 2 p.m. in the Stewart Center.
