SBU women fall at Pittsburg State

PITTSBURG, Kan. -- Ashleigh Gallio gave the Bearcats an early 3-0 lead with the first of her five field goals, but the Pittsburg State Gorillas went on to take control of the game, defeating the Bearcats 69-61. Gallio led the 'Cats with 15 points, marking the highest-scoring game for the Australian guard this year. Sophomore Kourtni Williams scored 14 points in her first start this year, after putting up 15 while coming off the bench against Truman earlier this week.

Gallio hit the first shot of the game, giving the Bearcats the early lead, but the Gorillas' Laura Glenn hit the layup followed by the and-one, tying the game at 3-3. Pittsburg forced a turnover, and scored on the following possession, gaining a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the rest of the day. The Bearcats were never out of the game, as Pitt State couldn't get more than nine points ahead in the first half.

SBU came back at the start of the second half, with Gallio hitting another three that cut the Gorilla lead to one, at 31-30. The Bearcats forced a tie with 14:47 left in the second half, when freshman Jacqui Zelenka hit the free throw that followed her layup she hit after getting fouled. A 9-2 run in favor of the Gorillas however, put PSU up seven with just over 12 minutes to play.

Senior Whitney Malone brought down 10 rebounds, in her third game this season with ten or more boards. Courtney Heady scored 11 points and led the Bearcats with 4 assists. SBU scored only 10 points off the bench, most of which came from Zelenka, who had nine in just eight minutes on the floor.

With the loss, SBU falls to 1-3 in the MIAA, and 4-4 overall. The Bearcats fill take next week off and will host Missouri Southern next Saturday, December 18, at 5:30 p.m.