SAN JUAN, P.R. – For the second consecutive game, the Cabrini women's basketball team took one of the nation's best teams to the final minute. Unfortunately, the Cavaliers fell short today, falling to No. 2 Thomas More 56-55 at the San Juan Shootout.
The loss snapped the Blue and White's six game win streak, as it fell to 6-3 on the season.
Senior
Megan Decker led the Cavaliers with a career high 19 points on 6-10 field goal shooting and 6-6 from the free throw line, to go with five rebounds. Fellow senior
Amber Keys added 13 points, while sophomore
Tayler Holmes matched a career best with 11 points on 5-7 shooting.
The Blue and White fell behind early, as the Saints scored the game's first 10 points. Despite cutting their deficit to two points, the Cavaliers trailed throughout the opening stanza.
Cabrini held Thomas More to 35.3% shooting in the first half, but a plus 11 rebound edge helped the Saints build a 33-21 lead at the half.
Head coach
Kate Pearson recharged her troops at the break, as the Cavaliers opened the second half with a 20-4 run, as Keys' jumper with 10:44 to play gave Cabrini a 41-37 lead.
The Saints responded with a 7-0 spurt to regain the lead with 8:47 on the clock. Over the next five minutes, Cabrini tied the score three times but could not get the bucket to secure the lead.
Trailing by 54-53, Decker drained a pair of free throws with 94 seconds to play, giving the Cavaliers their final lead. Cabrini had its chances to extend its lead, but a missed lay-up and a pair of turnovers gave the Saints a chance.
Cabrini's final turnover came with 30 seconds, leading to Thomas More's game-winning lay-up with 27 seconds to play.
The Blue and White defense was the key to the game, as the Cavaliers held the Saints to 26 points below its season average and its lowest offensive output since its 2012-13 season opener, a span of 68 games.
Cabrini also held Sydney Moss, the 2014 consensus National Player of the Year and the nation's leading scorer, to just 18 points, nearly 10 points below her season average.
The Cavaliers will play their final game in San Juan on Monday as they face Ithaca College (6-2). The Bombers fell to Plattsburgh 76-66 in another of Sunday's game.
