St. Paul, Minn.  – Gracie Stugart nearly posted a triple-double but the Maryville women's basketball team was narrowly edged out by Concordia-St. Paul 83-80 in overtime. She finished the contest with 12 points, a career-high 13 assists and eight rebounds. The Saints had five players score in double figures but the Bears remained unbeaten on the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The Saints trailed 7-5 but went on a 13-2 burst to surge ahead. Alicia Burgos hit a jumper, and Adylan Ayer finished a three-point play. CSP scored but Stugart had a layup, and Claire Rake and Caden Krohn's consecutive 3-pointers build an 18-9 lead after the first. Lindsey Schadewalt opened the second quarter with a triple as Maryville went up 21-9. The Bears used a run to close the gap to 21-18 before the Saints answered with 11 straight points. The Saints converted five free throws at the line and Annika Pluemer drilled a 3-pointer. CSP scored again but Burgos sank a jumper just before halftime for a 34-21 lead.
 
Rake's layup early in the third gave the Saints their largest lead of the day at 36-21. CSP roared back into the game with a 9-0 burst to chop Maryville's margin to 36-30. Ayer sank a turnaround jumper to put an end to the Concordia run. Pluemer splashed a triple and a bucket by Ayer pushed the lead back to double digits at 43-32. The Bears trimmed the Maryville lead down to 49-44 heading into the fourth.
 
Rake sank a triple for a 52-44 lead but CSP rallied to take a 55-54 margin with six minutes to play. The hosts stretched their advantage to 61-57 but Ayer scored on a layup and two at the line by Pluemer tied the contest at 61-all. Ayer found the range from deep to put the Saints ahead 64-61. The Bears went back ahead 65-64 at the 1:14 mark but Rake had the answer to push the Saints on top 66-65 with 43 ticks left. Maryville's defense forced a miss, and Stugart sank two at the line for a 68-65 lead with 28 seconds to go. CSP made one free throw and tacked on two more to tie the game at 68-68 with 17 seconds remaining. Rake was fouled with two seconds to play and made one at the line. The Saints forced a turnover and Hawthorne sank two free throws for a 71-68 advantage. However, the Saints were called for a foul on a three-point attempt, and the Bears converted all three to send the game to overtime.
 
In the extra session, the Bears built a 77-73 lead at the 3:07 mark. Pluemer's three-point play make it 77-76. CSP made one free throw for a two-point edge. Pluemer tied the game at 78-all. The Bears made one free throw but Stugart hit a jumper for an 80-79 lead. The Bears retook the lead with two free throws for an 81-80 cushion, and tacked on two more to built an 83-80 margin with 10 seconds left. The Saints had a three-pointer at the buzzer that would have forced double overtime but misfired.
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Points: Annika Pluemer - 13
Rebounds: Gracie Stugart - 8
Assists: Gracie Stugart - 13
3-Pointers: Claire Rake and Annika Pluemer - 2
Steals: Faith Hawthorne - 3
Blocked Shots: Faith Hawthorne - 4
 
RECORDS:
Maryville: 1-3
Concordia St. Paul: 4-0
 
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Saints stay on the road as they head to Warrensburg, Mo., to face Central Missouri Thursday, Nov. 21, in a 5:30 pm tip-off.   Read Full Article