The Culver-Stockton College women's basketball team gave nationally-ranked and defending NAIA national champion Clarke University all it could handle Wednesday night in a Heart of America Athletic Conference game at the Kehl Center in Dubuque, Iowa.

For three quarters the Wildcats outplayed the Pride and led 52-43 entering the fourth quarter. However, the fifth-ranked Pride outscored the visitors 20–11 in the final 10 minutes to force overtime, and then 10-7 in the extra session to post a 73-70 victory.

C-SC did have a chance to win the game in regulation and the game tied at 63 after a basket by Clarke with 26 seconds left.

The Wildcats worked the clock down to under five seconds when Avery Oetting made a move toward the basket. It appeared the Clarke defender grabbed her left arm and Oetting lost the ball on a turnover.

The Wildcats pleaded with the officials for a foul call; however, the pleas fell on deaf ears and the game went to overtime.

In the overtime, the two teams traded baskets early and the Pride added a free throw to take a 66-65 lead with 2:04 to play.

The Wildcats regained the lead on the ensuing possession on a basket by Katie Webb, but Clarke split a pair of free throws on its next possession to tie the game with 89 seconds left.

Each team missed on their respective possessions but the Pride grabbed an offensive rebound and was fouled. Taylor Norris drained both free throws to give the hosts a 69-67 edge with 41 ticks left.

On its ensuing possession, C-SC got three chances to tie the game. 

Webb missed a shot and Nevaiah Bell-Tenner grabbed the offensive rebound and missed her attempt at tying the game. C-SC's Delaney Straus grabbed the second straight offensive carom but turned the ball back over to the Pride with 20 seconds left.

The Wildcats fouled quickly and sent the Pride to the free throw line where they drained two shots to extend the lead to 71-67.

Oetting followed with a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to bring the Wildcats to within 71-70, but the Pride made two more free throws with six seconds left and the Wildcat missed at the buzzer to end the game.

Aaliyah Ortiz, the reigning conference player of the week, led the Wildcats with 20 points, matching her season-high. Ortiz also added six assists, four rebounds and three steals.

Webb, Oetting and Bell-Tenner all added 11 points each. Straus led the Wildcats with a team-best six caroms and five steals.

The Wildcats, now 8-13 overall and 7-10 in the Heart, returns home to face Benedictine College this Saturday, Feb. 3, at Charles Field House. Game time is scheduled for 2 p.m.

GAME NOTES:

• The Wildcats have lost sixth straight games on the road and are 1-9 away from Charles Field House this season.
• Ortiz has scored in double figures 35 times in her career and topped the 20-point mark for the fourth time in her career.
• Straus' five steals was a career high.
• Milliana Mozee-Williams netted a career-high eight points in the game.
• The Wildcats were outscored 21-9 from the free throw line. The Pride shot 24 free throws to the Wildcats' 12 foul shots. C-SC is 0-9 this season when shooting fewer foul shots than the opposition.
• The Wildcats forced 25 Pride turnovers in the game, leading to 24 points. The 25 forced turnovers were the third most this season for the Wildcats.