BOLIVAR, Mo. --  A game-tying three point attempt from Courtney Heady came up short as the Pittsburg State Gorillas held on to beat the SBU Bearcats 90-87.

Courtney Creed had 23 points.

Courtney Creed led the Bearcats with 23 points. Jasmine Sanford had 16, Cortney Shewmaker had 14 and Mia Gilreath had 12. Sanford also had a career high 11 rebounds. Shewmaker also added 5 assists and 3 steals. Bailey Waugh had 26 points, including 6 of 9 from long range.

“I’m proud of them, despite being fatigued with all these close games,” said head J.C. Carter. “We played well with four players in double figures. We ran a play to get a three (at the end), but it didn’t turn out like we wanted.”

On the play of his two leading scorers, Carter said, “Jasmine brings quickness to the table. We have to use speed because we’re undersized. Creed gets the best of other team’s defenders. She’s a competitor and got her points."

The first half saw 10 lead changes and five ties in the first 15 minutes of action. SBU led at halftime 44-39 behind 10 points apiece from Creed and Shewmaker.

Pitt State would go on a 17-5 run to take a 65-58 lead with just under twelve minutes remaining in the second half. SBU would get close several times in the final 10 minutes, but could never regain the lead. The 'Cats would get to within one at 88-87 with 16 seconds left on a layup by Rachel Graves. After two free throws from PSU's Caitlin Demarest, SBU called timeout to set up the final shot but Heady's last second try missed the mark.

The 'Cats shot 58% in the first frame and even shot 54% for the game. They were, however, outscored and outshot at the foul line. SBU made 13 of 21 freebies while PSU was 21 of 31 from the charity stripe.

SBU drops to 7-13 and 4-9 in the MIAA while Pitt State improves to 16-5 and 11-3 in the MIAA.

SBU is back on the road on Saturday afternoon in Kirksville, when they take on Truman State beginning at 1 p.m.

Final stats

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