Box Score

DULUTH, Minn.. – The St. Scholastica women's basketball team fell in its final non-conference game of the season on Tuesday afternoon as the Finlandia University Lions pulled ahead in the game's final minute to defeat the Saints 73-70 in Reif Gymnasium at the Burns Wellness Commons.

CSS falls to 4-10 on the season with the loss while Finlandia improves to 3-15 on the year.

The game saw twelve lead changes, six by each team as well as four ties.

Finlandia took the lead early in the game, leading by as many as six in the game's opening frame, but the Saints were able to pull back into it each time, trailing just by two at the half.

At the half, FU's Deanna Makela led the way for both teams with nine points, while #Bri Allen# had eight to lead the Saints.

The Lions once again pulled away to start the second half, moving their lead to six by the five-minute mark, but CSS cut into the lead and then scored seven unanswered points to eventually lead by five with 11 minutes to go.

The Saints held a five-point lead with as little as three minutes remaining in the second half, but Finlandia made two late jumpers to take a 71-70 lead, and then made two free throws to close out the game.

Allen finished with a team-high 17 points for CSS. She was one of three Saints with five rebounds while also leading the team with five steals on the night.

#Caitlin McKernon# and #Kelly Cinquegrani# also hit double-digits scoring, with 14 and 11 points, respectively. #Erin Morstad# had four assists to lead the Saints in that category.

Makela continued her hot-shooting in the second half, going 10-for-16 from the field to finish with a game-high 21 points for Finlandia, while Shaikiera Armstrong added a double-double with ten points and 12 rebounds. Two other Lions also added double-digits in scoring.

The Saints shot 41.5% from the field, while the Lions shot 37.3%.

St .Scholastica hits the road this weekend in returning to Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) play, beginning with a showdown with Crown College on Friday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. in St. Bonifacius.