INDIANPOLIS – Three Cougars scored in double figures, but it would not be enough as the Spring Arbor University women's basketball team suffered an 82-63 loss on the road to No. 11 Marian University on Wednesday night.
Junior Jessica Mabry and sophomore Kylie Townsley registered 15 points apiece while freshman Faith Johnson finished with 10.
The Cougars started the game red-hot, hitting 11 of their first 13 shots en route to building a 27-15 lead. Mabry and Townsley combined for 16 points during the early scoring spurt while Aimee Konkel and Karly Bender punctuated the run with back-to-back three-pointers.
After being forced into five turnovers through the first eight minutes, Marian (17-4, 6-3 Crossroads League) – one of the nation's top scoring teams – began to get its offense clicking. The Knights would use a 14-2 run to erase the deficit, and tie the score 29-29 at the 5:06 mark, before notching 12 unanswered points to take a lead they would never relinquish.
The Cougars got within eight in the final minute of the first half following a jumper from Mabry, but the home team would counter with a basket just before the buzzer to take a 44-34 advantage into the locker room.
In the second half, Marian continued to stretch its lead as the Knights pulled away for the victory.
The Cougars shot 40 percent (24-for-60) on the night, but the Knights connected on 47 percent (31-for-66) of their attempts while out-rebounding SAU 41-35.
Mabry went 7-for-10 from the field on the way to her fifth straight game scoring at least 10 points while pulling down five rebounds. Johnson added six boards and senior Lindsey Burnside hauled in a team-high eight to go along with three blocks.
Spring Arbor (6-14, 1-8 Crossroads League) will return home to host Goshen College (14-7, 5-4 Crossroads League) on Saturday, Jan. 24 at 1 p.m.
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