by SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The College of Saint Mary basketball team pulled off a huge, fourth-quarter rally to knock off No. 9-ranked Briar Cliff University 81-77 Saturday afternoon.
The Chargers led the entire Great Plains Athletic Conference game – and led by as much as 18 points at one point in the game – before the Flames finally got their first lead with just 1 minute remaining in the contest.
Pilar Aldrich (Winnebago Tribe ) knocked down a 3-pointer at 1:00 in the fourth quarter to put CSM up 77-75. Two free throws by Briar Cliff tied the game 77-77 with 50 seconds remaining, but four free throws by CSM’s Deaundra Young (SR/Mims, FL) in the game’s final seconds secured the win for the Flames.
When it was all said and done – CSM trailed 19-11 after the first quarter, 38-28 at halftime and 60-51 after three quarters of play, but outscored Briar Cliff 30-17 in the fourth quarter when it mattered most to seal the win.
“We just kept fighting and fighting,” CSM Coach Jesse Flanagan said. “We didn’t make any big changes late in the game. We just stuck with what we were doing and kept battling.”
Young finished with 26 points, 16 rebounds and three steals for CSM. Aldrich tallied 20 points, while teammate Payton Everett (JR/Malcolm, NE) tossed in 13 points and Justice Ross (JR/Gretna, NE) added nine points and seven rebounds.
For Briar Cliff, Jessi Corrick had a game-high 27 points. Teammate Morgan Hansen chipped in 19 points and Kaylee Blake canned 10 points.
With the win, CSM improves to 8-10 in the GPAC and 14-11 overall. The Chargers, who were ranked ninth in the latest NAIA poll, fall to 11-7 and 18-7.
The Flames play again Wednesday with a 6 p.m. home contest against Doane College.
