Kirksville, Mo. – The Maryville women's basketball team rallied from a 21-point deficit to force overtime but Truman State held on for a pulsating 99-97 win. Antoinette Mussorici poured in a season-high 33 points on 12-of-19 shooting to bolster Maryville's comeback. The Saints had shots to win the game at the buzzer in regulation and overtime but saw the attempts narrowly fall short. Taylor Kirby scored 14 points, and Carsyn Fearday finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Hunter Stidham sank four 3-pointers en route to 12 points.
 
Truman recap
Truman State shot nearly 70 percent in the first quarter to build a 34-16 lead over the Saints. The deficit grew to 21 at before Maryville slowly rallied.  The Saints used an 8-0 midway through the second to outscore the Bulldogs by 10 and trim the gap to 51-43 at halftime. Trailing 65-61 in the third, the Saints scored seven straight to take the lead. Faith Hawthorne hit a short jumper, Stidham sank a 3-pointer before Mussorici's jumper put the Saints ahead 66-65. TSU made a late push to take a 74-68 lead into the fourth.
 
The Saints scored seven unanswered points and pulled to within 83-82. TSU sank a trey but the Saints went on an 8-0 burst to surge ahead. Haidyn Pitsch started the run with a triple, and Mussorici sank two free throws for an 87-86 edge. Fearday splashed in a 3-pointer for a 90-86 advantage with 25 seconds to play. However, TSU outscored the Saints 5-1 in the waning seconds to tie the game at 91-91. Maryville had a jumper at the buzzer but the game moved to overtime.
 
Truman took a 96-92 edge midway through the extra session but Stidham sank a wing 3-pointer. The Bulldogs made one free throw but Mussorici tied the game at 97-all with two at the line. Hannah Belanger sank two free throws for Truman with just over a minute to play for a 99-97 lead but that would be the final points of the game. The Saints had a 3-pointer that would have won the game but the shot was just short as Truman State escaped with the win.
 
Statistical Leaders
Points: Antoinette Mussorici - 33
Rebounds: Carsyn Fearday - 8
Assists: Carsyn Fearday - 6
3-Pointers: Hunter Stidham - 4
Steals: three players - 1
Blocked shots: Olivia Kastens - 1
 
Records
Maryville: 11-8, 6-6 GLVC
Truman State: 14-6, 10-2 GLVC
 
What's Next?
The Saints stay on the road for their next contest as they head to Quincy Saturday, Jan. 28, for a 1 p.m. tip.