SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A bucket with just 17 seconds left gave IU South Bend the lead, but a three-pointer on the other end was enough to give the visiting IU Northwest Redhawks the victory, dealing the Titans their first home loss of the year 74-70 on Saturday afternoon.
Maddie Gard led the Titans (10-4, 3-3 CCAC) with a game-high 24 points, going 7-for-15 from the floor and a perfect 10-for-10 from the free throw line. Emma Fisher tallied a season-high 14 points with five assists, while Katie Gard posted 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
IU South Bend jumped out to an early 6-2 lead in a low-scoring first quarter, but the Redhawks (9-3, 5-1 CCAC) responded with three straight buckets, taking the 9-6 lead with a three-pointer at the 2:50 mark. The visitors would go up by five before Maddy Schumacher's three-pointer in the closing seconds cut the score to 13-11 by the end of the first quarter.
Twelve unanswered points in the first three minutes of the second quarter allowed the Redhawks to take their largest lead of the day, 25-11. Another three from Schumacher started the Titans recovery, starting a 9-2 run that was capped by a three-point play from Maddie Gard. Five straight points from Sara Doi made it a four-point game before the Redhawks hit one last three-pointer just before the half, as IUSB went into the locker room trailing 34-27 at the break.
A three from Rachael Robards followed by a put-back layup from Fisher would tie the game in the third quarter, 34-34, as three straight buckets put IUSB back in front following a Maddie Gard free throw, 43-39 at the 5:26 mark. The Titans would go up by as much as six before IU Northwest came back again to briefly take the lead, but a three by Doi edged IUSB back on top, 52-49 entering the fourth quarter.
The visitors would use a 10-2 run midway through the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead again, 63-58 with 4:11 remaining. Maddie Gard's layup with 1:06 on the clock evened the score again, 68-68, and Fisher gave the Titans a 70-69 lead with 17 seconds left to play.
A three on the Redhawks' following possession would secure the win for IU Northwest, as the Titans were unable to get a potential game-winning shot off down the stretch.
The Titans will look to bounce back with one more home game before the Christmas break, when they host Lincoln on Thursday, December 16. Tipoff is set for 5:30 p.m. from the Student Activities Center.
