ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Wartburg women's basketball opened the St. Pete Classic with a loss against No 7/7 University of Scranton on Monday, Dec. 19. The Knights high-powered offense was held to its lowest totals of the season in a 59-37 loss. 
 
Game Summary
	- First half
	
		- The Knights jumped out to a 4-0 lead after forcing turnovers on back-to-back Scranton possessions
- With just under three minutes left in the first quarter, the Royals cut the lead to 7-6
- Sara Faber made a layup to put the Knights up 13-8 to close the first quarter
- Scranton went on a 9-3 run to open the second quarter to take a 17-16 lead over Wartburg
- A Jaedon Murphy layup and a Faber three pointer retook the lead for the Knights with 3:50 remaining in the half
- Scranton had a 5-0 run of their own to take a 24-23 lead with under a 1:30 to play in the first half
- Taylor Runchey drew a foul and put both free throws in to give the Orange & Black a 25-24 lead at halftime
- Each team hit just one three pointer in the first half
 
- Second half
	
		- The Knights started the second half with back-to-back buckets from Murphy and a layup from Faber to take a 31-27 lead
- Samantha Rajza scored the first five points for Scranton in the third quarter
- After a three-minute scoring drought, Murphy scored to make the score 33-29
- The Royals went on a 7-0 run to retake the lead, 37-33 with just over three minutes left in the quarter
- Scranton led 43-35 after three quarters
- The Royals opened the quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 49-35 lead with eight minutes to play
- The Knights were held to just two points in the fourth quarter
- Scranton pulled away for a 59-37 win
 
Top Performers
	- Murphy
	
		- 13 points
		
		
- Five rebounds
- Two assists
 
- Faber
	
		- Nine points
		
		
- Four rebounds
- One block
 
- Olivia Baxter
	
		- Four points
		
		
- Seven rebounds
- Two blocks
 
Notes/Streaks
	- Knights are now 6-3 overall, with all three losses coming to top 25 ranked teams
- Scranton held Wartburg to lowest total points since the 2011-12 season
	
	
- Four players finished with three steals
	
	
- The Knights finished 1/21 from beyond the arc, 14/54 from the field and 8/15 from the free throw line
- Scranton's bench outscored Wartburg's 21-6
Next Time Out
The Knights continue play at the St. Pete Classic Tuesday, Dec. 20 against No. 16/20 ranked Trine University at 12 p.m. central time.