ABILENE, Texas – In a battle of nationally-ranked and previously unbeaten teams, the #4/12 Trinity women's basketball team lost 92-88 in overtime on the road against #7/16 Hardin-Simmons University on Saturday afternoon.

The Tigers fell to 4-1 on the season, while the Cowgirls remained unbeaten with a 4-0 record on the year. Trinity had won the four previous meetings between the two schools and the last two Tiger losses in the series have been by a total of just six points. Since 2009-10, Trinity holds a 13-5 record against Hardin-Simmons with three of the five defeats coming on the road.

Hardin-Simmons tied the game with a pair of free throws in the final minute of regulation, then Trinity missed three chances to take the lead after that. The Cowgirls also missed a shot in the final seconds that could have ended the game. Hardin-Simmons went 4-for-4 from the line in the final 27 seconds of overtime to clinch the win.

Natalie Anderson (San Jose, Calif. / Archbishop Mitty) led the way for the Tigers with 20 points and nine rebounds, hitting 9-of-12 from the field. She also added five assists and a pair of steals, hitting both of her free throw chances.

Maggie Robbins (Plano, Texas / Plano) dropped a season-best 19 points on 7-for-13 shooting and connected on all five foul shot attempts. Robbins also added three steals, six rebounds, two assists, and two blocks.

Kylie Minter (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) and Jamie Ruede (Pipe Creek, Texas / Boerne) both hit double figures off the bench for Trinity, scoring 17 and 14, respectively. Minter was 7-for-10 overall and 3-for-5 from beyond the arc, adding six boards. Ruede finished 6-of-10 from the floor and 2-for-2 from three-point range, recording three steals and three assists.

Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) dished out a team-best seven assists to go with three steals and four boards, while Elaine King (Cedar Park, Texas / Cedar Park) led the Tigers with three blocks.

The Rundown
Trinity and Hardin-Simmons went back-and-forth the entire first quarter and neither team led by more than five points. The Cowgirls scored four of the final five points of the period to take a 22-18 lead after one, then scored the first points of the second quarter to creep to a 24-18 lead with 8:47 left in the half. Back-to-back three-pointers from Skye O'Rourke (Austin, Texas / Vandegrift) and Ruede tied things up less than a minute later, then Robbins got a steal and a layup to put Trinity up 26-24. Hardin-Simmons closed the first half with a 14-5 run over the final six-plus minutes, though, and led 39-33 at the break.

The two teams traded baskets early in the third quarter and the deficit for the Tigers grew to 10 points with just under six minutes left. The lead was still 10 points (49-39) at the midway point when Trinity made its move. Napoli tied things up on a three-pointer with just 19 seconds left in the period to finish off a 17-7 run by Trinity. Only a free throw in the waning seconds of the third put HSU up 57-56 heading into the fourth quarter.

After an early bucket by the Cowgirls to start the fourth, Ruede put Trinity back in front with a great sequence. She started with a quick jump shot after the HSU bucket, then got a steal and another bucket to put the Tigers on top. That started an 8-0 Trinity run that gave the visitors its largest lead of the game at 66-59 just 2:01 into the period. The Cowgirls answered quickly to edge back in front and the see-saw game was on down the stretch. Robbins scored with just under two minutes left to make it a 75-71 lead for Trinity, but Hardin-Simmons tied things up with two free throws a minute later to send the game to overtime.

Trinity never led in overtime, but kept the game within reach throughout the five-minute extra period. The Cowgirls were up 82-77 with 2:19 to play when Minter and Anderson scored back-to-back layups to cut it to a one-point game. Hardin-Simmons scored again for an 84-81 advantage with 1:25 left, then Bailey Timmons (Argyle, Texas / Argyle) buried a game-tying three-pointer with 68 seconds to go. Following a timeout, HSU got a three of its own to pull back in front, then sealed the game with free throws in the end.

Coach Speak
"If nobody ever rattles your cage, you may never find the loose screws. ONWARD!" said Head Coach Cameron Hill after the game.

Up Next
Trinity will begin Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play next weekend, hitting the road again to take on Southwestern University on Friday, December 1, at 7:30 p.m. in Georgetown, Texas. The Tigers then face Texas Lutheran University on Saturday, December 2, at 6:00 p.m.