ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Wartburg women's basketball stormed back in the second half, but fell short in a 60-56 loss to No. 16/20 Trine University in the St. Pete Classic. The Orange & Black are now 6-4 overall and remain 3-0 in American Rivers Conference play. 
 
Game Summary

• First Half
  • Trine jumped out to a 4-0 lead, but Wartburg was able to tie the game at six after four early points from Jaedon Murphy
  • The Thunder closed the first quarter on a 7-1 run, to lead 13-7 after one quarter
  • The Knights opened the second quarter with six straight points to tie the game at 13
  • Sierra Hinds scored eight straight points for Tine to take a 21-16 lead, but Britney Young's second three pointer of the game cut the lead down to four with 4:14 to play
  • A 5-0 run from Faber gave the Knights the lead, but Hinds hit back-to-back from beyond the arc to regain the lead
  • Another Young three cut into the lead for Wartburg, but they trailed 31-27 at halftime
• Second Half
  • Sam Underhill scored four unanswered points to give the Thunder a 35-27 advantage to begin the third quarter
  • After a Faber layup cut the lead to six, Trine scored eight unanswered points to take a 43-29 lead midway through the third quarter
  • The Knights cut the lead to 10 with two minutes left in the third after five straight points from Murphy
  • Wartburg closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to make the score 46-40, Trine, after three quarters
  • The Knights carried the momentum over to the fourth quarter, where they scored five unanswered to come within one point
  • Wartburg took its first lead of the second half after a layup from Macy Harris with 7:28 remaining
  • After six lead changes, Trine led 56-53 with 4:05 left to play
  • The Knights trailed by seven with under two minutes to play, but a Murphy three pointer cut the lead to 60-56
  • Trine was able to hold on for a 60-56 win

 
Top Performers

• Murphy
  • 20 points
    • 7/16 FG
    • 2/5 3P
    • 4/4 FT
  • Eight rebounds
  • Two steals
• Faber
  • 17 points
    • 7/19 FG
    • 2/2 FT
    • Three rebounds
    • One block
    • Two steals
• Young
  • 12 points
    • 4/10 FG
    • 4/10 3P
  • Five assists
  • Two rebounds
  • One block
  • Two steals

 
Notes/Streaks

• Back-to-back losses for the Knights
  • 0-4 vs Ranked Opponents and 6-0 vs unranked opponents
• Eight lead changes and five ties throughout the game
• The all-time series is now tied 1-1
• Third 20-point game for Murphy this season
  • Now trails the 1,000 point club by 248 points
• Trine's bench outscored Wartburg's 28-4
• Wartburg shooting percentages:
  • FG: 36.8%
  • 3P: 25%
  • FT: 70%

Next Time Out
The Knights concluded play in Florida and will head home to host the Wartburg Holiday Tournament on Thursday and Friday, Dec. 29-30. Wartburg will play the University of Northwestern (Minn.) on Thursday, Dec. 29 at 1 p.m. in Levick Arena.