by CRETE, Neb. – College of Saint Mary had four players score in double figures but still lost Thursday night. Doane University defeated the Flames 72-63 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference contest.
The Tigers shot 41 percent from the floor and 82 percent from the free-throw line, which CSM Coach Kirk Walker said was the difference in the game. CSM shot 36 percent from the floor and 40 percent from the charity stripe. Doane scored 22 points from the free-throw line, compared to CSM’s eight.
“Free throws were the difference in tonight’s game,” Walker said. “We created too many help situations for ourselves on defense and we couldn’t get rotated without fouling.”
Trista Merrival (Oglala Lakota) led the Flames with a double-double. She tossed in a team-high 12 points and also grabbed 11 rebounds. Teammate Lynsey Curran (SR/Omaha, Neb.) and Kenzi Hoit (FR/Omaha, Neb.) both canned 11 points, while Bailey White (FR/Council Bluffs, Iowa) added 10. Alyssa Laudato (SR/Palm Bay, Fla.) had a team-high four assists and Clare Lewandowski (FR/Lincoln, Neb.) tallied three blocks.
“Trista played her best all-around game of the year collecting a double-double,” Walker said. “Offensively we just can’t seem to get our whole team to put it together on the same night.”
