Box Score

Bolivar, Mo. - LaKendra Smith and Brittney Dukes led a solid Bearcat performance against Fort Hays on Thursday night, but the comeback fell just short, as the Bearcats lost 71-78.

The Bearcats and Lady Tigers played an extremely close first half, with neither team leading by more than 5 points, as the game was tied going into halftime. The Bearcats came out of the locker room looking sharp, as they extended their lead 4 early in the second half, but the Lady Tigers continued to battle. Fort Hays would eventually push their lead to double-digits with about 10 minutes left in the game. SBU would mount a comeback, pulling the game with 6 with a minute left to play, but the Bearcats comeback bid fell short.

LaKendra Smith posted a solid game for the Bearcats, scoring a game high 22 points off of 9 of 18 shooting from the field while also grabbing 7 rebounds. Brittney Dukes hit a couple of clutch three's in the game for SBU, and finished with 15 points. Tanis Spani also added 10 points and 5 assists in the loss.

As a team the Bearcats shot 44.1% from the field, 45.5% from beyond the arc, and 73.7% from the free throw line. The Bearcats dished out more assists than the Lady Tigers (13-11) but were outrebounded on the evening, 33-42.

"I thought the first half we had a great defensive effort," head coach Todd Voss stated. "It is good to see Brittney give us some point production and to see her put back-to-back games together.  Kendra did a great job tonight battling, and I thought her effort tonight was really good for us."

The Bearcats will be back in action on Tuesday, February 16 for senior night from the Meyer Sports Center. Tip-off for the game against Northwest Missouri is set for 5:30 p.m.