St. Louis – The Maryville women's basketball squad cut a 23-point deficit to just one but its furious late rally just fell short as Arkansas Tech held on for a 69-64 win. The Saints made a late push with a 22-0 run over a seven-minute span to chop the deficit to just one point with 2:06 left but could not complete the enormous comeback. Carsyn Fearday led Maryville in scoring with 22 points, while Haidyn Pitsch added 18 points to go over the 1,000-point mark in her college career, which includes 350 points at Dakota Wesleyan.

Arkansas Tech recap
The Saints did not score for more than five minutes and the Golden Suns hit six straight shots, including three 3-pointers. Maryville closed the gap to 23-8 but ATU had a 28-9 lead after the first quarter. The Golden Suns hit 9-of-11 field goal attempts in the first quarter. The Saints made a push in the second and got to within 40-27 at halftime. ATU used a push in the third quarter to take a 63-42 into the final 10 minutes.
 
Down 65-42 early in the fourth quarter, Maryville started its massive comeback attempt. Gracie Stugart hit a 3-pointer at the 9:10 mark to spark the run. Pitsch drilled a 3-pointer and was later fouled on a triple and hit all three at the line. Fearday had a three-point play and a layup as the Saints closed the gap to single digits 65-56 with 5:53 remaining.
 
Neither team scored for nearly three minutes until Faith Hawthorne converted two free throws. The Maryville defense forced a turnover, and Pitsch splashed in a 3-pointer. After a defensive stop, Pitsch drained another from beyond the arc as the Saints closed to 65-64 with two minutes to play. Maryville held Arkansas Tech without a field goal for over eight minutes until the Golden Suns scored their only field goal of the quarter at the 1:55 mark for a 67-64 lead. Maryville had three shots to tie but could not deadlock the game. ATU hit two free throws with 10.1 seconds left for the 69-64 final score. The Saints defense forced the Golden Suns into 13 turnovers in the final quarter.

Statistical Leaders
Points: Carsyn Fearday - 22
Rebounds: Antoinette Mussorici - 6
Assists: Haidyn Pitsch - 2
3-Pointers: Haidyn Pitsch - 4
Steals: Antoinette Mussorici - 3
Blocked Shots: none
 
Records
Maryville: 2-7
Arkansas Tech: 4-2
 
What's Next?
The Saints are back to Great Lakes Valley Conference play as they voyage to Rolla, Mo., Saturday, Dec. 9, and face Missouri S&T in a 1 p.m. start.