Women's Basketball surges late, but falls one-point short of Hendrix College

CONWAY, Ark. - The University of Dallas women's basketball team (11-9) was defeated on Tuesday evening in a road test by the Hendrix College Warriors (13-9), 75-74.

It was an ebb and flow first-half of sorts. Hendrix jumped out to a 10 point lead at the 11:18 mark of the opening period. Dallas hung tough, however, and with their ensuing possesion, Kia Grable (Wathena, Kan./Troy H.S.) knocked down a three-pointer. The freshman guard's made trifecta returned the Lady Crusaders' deficit to single digits.

Dallas went into halftime trailing the Warriors, 36-28. The Lady Crusaders shot 35.7 percent (10-of-28) from the field in the first half, while Hendrix College shot 51.9 percent (14-of-27).

When play resumed, Cara Sczepanski (Highland Village, Texas/Marcus H.S.) was able to pull Dallas to within four points at the 18:19 mark of the second half, sinking a couple of free throws. The senior forward was one of three Lady Crusaders to amass double-digits in scoring on the night, totaling 14 points.

After a few minutes of some back-and-forth on the scoreboard, the Warriors took control behind the arc and at the free throw line, expanding their lead to a game-high 15 points with 13:45 remaining in the contest.

Then, it became the Kylie Yoshimura (Temple City, Calif./Mark Keppel H.S.) show. The sophomore guard hit three consecutive three-pointers to pull Dallas within six points of leveling the score. Yoshimura shot 10-of-20 from the field, going 5-of-9 from three-point land, and making all four of her attempts from the charity stripe. She also had seven assists to go along with six steals, despite fouling out with 3:55 remaining in the game. 

Hendrix College's Wyvonne Hawkins answered Yoshimura, recording the game's next four points. Three of these points were the result of an "and one" play, and brought the Warrior lead to 10 points.

Trailing by 13 points with 8:50 remaining in the game, Dallas was in need of a conserted effort to get back within striking distance.

After several defensive stops and efficient offense, the Lady Crusaders narrowed their deficit to four points on a made layup from Christy Allen (Burton, Mich./St. Thomas More Academy). On the game, the freshman forward registered 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting from the field, sinking her lone three-pointer and both free throws attempted.  

With time waning, Allen netted a three-pointer, but it wasn't enough as Dallas fell by a singular point.

Up next for the Lady Crusaders will be a two-game trip to Calif., where they'll participate in the DIII Independents Round Robin hosted by Chapman University. Dallas will play UC Santa Cruz on Saturday in Orange, Calif., at 3:00 p.m PST/5:00 p.m. CST.