INDEPENDENCE, Kan. - The Independence Women’s Basketball team came up just short in their upset bid Wednesday night, as they gave the 4th-ranked Dodge City Conquistadors all they could handle in a 61-54 loss. 

The Lady Pirates knew they had a tall task ahead of them, facing a Conquistadors team who, up until their first loss of the season over the weekend, had been the #1-ranked team in the country since before Thanksgiving. Dodge City did get out to a quick start, shooting 50% from the field in the first quarter en route to a 25-14 lead after the first frame. The solid shooting start continued for Dodge City in the second quarter as they poured in four three pointers to push their lead to 14. The Pirates hung around the whole first half, and were able to stay within striking distance as they had one of their more efficient offensive halves, as they carried a 9-3 scoring run into the second half. 

In the second half, the Lady Pirates carried the momentum from that first half run, into a remarkable third quarter, where they held Dodge City to 0-14 from the field, including 0-10 from deep on their way to scoreless quarter, as Indy was able to manufacture a couple buckets and trimmed the lead all the way down to three heading into the final frame. 

In the fourth quarter, Dodge City quickly broke the dry spell with two buckets in the first few minutes to push their lead out to seven. The game hung in the balance as Dodge City nursed a ten point lead at the five minute mark, but the Lady Pirates continued to fight as they rattled off seven unanswered points to cut it to a one possession game once again. 

Trailing by two with just over a minute left, Indy was looking for a crucial stop, but Conquistador Sophomore Manuela Piljevic converted an old fashioned three point lead and gave the 4th-ranked  team in the country the cushion they needed late to ice the game down the stretch.

A valiant effort by the Pirates showed in the stat sheet, as the rebounding battle was even at 39, along with second chance points, as each team had 11. Dodge City did shoot it at a slightly better rate from deep and from the free throw line, as both teams turned the ball over 16 times, with the Conquistadors capitalizing on their forced turnovers, turning it into 18 points. 

Nyah Chandler finished with a game high 15 points for the Pirates, while Danaiya Stillwell-Smith finished one rebound shy of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Mimi White also finished in double figures, with 12 points off of the bench. 

The Pirates will look to build on a strong showing this weekend as they travel to Concordia, Kansas to square off with Cloud County on Saturday.