Box Score

Pittsburg, Kan. - The Southwest Baptist University women's basketball played tough against #12 Pittsburg State, but were unable to come away with a victory, dropping the contest 63-54 on Wednesday night in Pittsburg, Kan. The Bearcats had strong performances by LaKendra Smith and Brittney Dukes, but it wasn't quite enough in the upset bid of the #12 Gorillas.

The Bearcats jumped out to a early first half lead against the Gorillas and would be up by as many as 15 points in the first half before the Gorillas would cut the lead to 8, with Bearcats going into halftime up 34-26. Pittsburg State would prove why they are the 12th ranked team in the nation, quickly cutting into the Bearcats lead and eventually going up by six late in the second half. The Bearcats would continue to battle to the very end, but Pittsburg State hit their free throws down the stretch to win 63-54.

LaKendra Smith led the Bearcats in scoring with 15 points and 8 rebounds, while Brittney Dukes added 12 points and six rebounds in the loss. As a team the Bearcats shot 33.3% from the field, 27.8% from beyond the arc, and an uncharacteristic 43.8% from the free throw line.

"We had outstanding effort in the first half," head coach Todd Voss stated after the game. "We really came out and exicuted our game plan and played really hard. It was a great first half for us. We did a lot of good things. Defensively for the most part we did well enough to get a win, and there are a lot of things we can take from this game and build on. We will learn from it and move forward to get ready for our next one."

The Bearcats will be back in action on Saturday, February 4th when they host the Bulldogs of Truman State. Fans are encouraged to "pack it purple" by wearing their purple SBU gear in the MIAA Network Television Game of the Week. Tip-off is set for 1:07 p.m. from the Meyer Sports Center in Bolivar.