LAS VEGAS, NV – The Presbyterian College Blue Hose women's basketball team (8-6) lost to the Wright State Raiders (7-6) with a score of 66-61. Presbyterian trailed by three points with 38 seconds of play but were not able to come up with the win.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter – A pair of three-pointers from both teams started off the game tied at six points apiece. After some back and forth the tie was pushed to 10 points each before the Raiders took the next seven points. The Blue Hose answered with six points of their own behind four from Tilda Sjokvist. Wright State took the final five points before the end of the first quarter.
 
Second Quarter – After a scoreless first two minutes of play, Presbyterian took the first two buckets of the second quarter to make it a two-point game. Wright State took the next six points before Christina Kline nailed her first three pointer of the game to make the score 28-23 with the Raiders holding a five-point lead. The next five points went to Wright State, but Mara Neira brought their lead down to five with a deep three to end the first half with a score of 33-28.
 
Third Quarter – The Raiders scored six of the first nine points in the third quarter to bring their lead up to 10 points. Neira scored the next four points for PC to make it a six-point game with a score of 39-33. After some back and forth, the quarter came to an end with the Raiders in front by six points and a score of 47-41.
 
Fourth Quarter – Wright State started off the final quarter of play with a three-point shot, but Sjokvist answered with a three of her own. Neira followed up with another three-pointer before the Raiders made a few foul shots. Neira yet again, swished another three-point bucket to make it a three-point game with a score of 53-50. Wright State scored six of the next eight points to extend their lead to seven with 4:29 to go. Sjokvist made a layup but two free throws from the other side kept it at a six-point game. Neira made a hook shot for her 22 point of the night, but the Raiders answered with two points of their own. Two free throws from the Raiders made it an eight-point game with two minutes of play. Neira answered with another three-point shot to cut the opposing lead to five. Neria grabbed a steal on the far end and assisted Ashley Carrillo for two more points for the Blue Hose. With 38 seconds to go Presbyterian trailed by three points when they made a huge stop and called a timeout with 27 points to go. The Blue Hose were unable to tie up the game and were forced to foul with 16 seconds left. After the Raiders made both free throws, PC trailed by five when time expired with a final score of 66-61.
 
NOTABLES

• Mara Neira recorded a new season-high of 25 points after shooting 55.6% from the field and 45.5% from range.
• Tilda Sjokvist totaled 14 points, three rebounds, and 6 assists.
• The Blue Hose totaled 36 rebounds, 16 assists, and five steals.

NEIRA EARNS ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM HONOR
After averaging 17 points per game while shooting at a 48.3 field goal percentage and a 42.9 three point field goal percentage over two games at the Holiday Hoops Classic, junior guard Mara Neira earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. In Presbyterian's first game against Eastern Washington University, Neira totaled nine points and four rebounds. The following day she put up a new season-high of 25 points while shooting at 55.6% from the field and 45.5% from range. She also added three rebounds, two steals, and two assists in her efforts against Wright State.

COACH SHARP'S THOUGHTS
"Our kids competed and played a lot tougher today. We are proud of their response. There is a lot we can take away from this tournament. Our end-of-game execution will be something we can look at and learn from today. I'm really thankful to our administration and everyone that made it possible for us to be able to compete against two quality opponents."
 
UP NEXT
The Blue Hose return home for a game on New Years Eve against the Columbia College Koalas in Templeton Center at 2:00 p.m.