The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team fell in heartbreaking fashion to open the 2024-25 season, dropping a 60-59 contest at the buzzer to Penn St. Behrend at the Wise Center in Meadville, Pennsylvania, as part of the Women Leaders Tip Off hosted by Allegheny College.

The Spartans dropped to 0-1 overall, while the Lions improved to 1-0 in 2024-25.

Sophomore Mya Hartjes had a team-high 16 points while adding six rebounds and a team-leading five assists. Junior Maya Roberts scored 11 points off the bench, and junior Emily Plachta reached double figures with 10 points. Senior Evie Miller blocked six shots, one shy of tying her program record, and collected a team-high 11 rebounds. Making her first career start, sophomore Maura Schorr had nine rebounds, seven points, and two steals.

The teams battled in a low-scoring opening stanza, with neither squad leading by more than four. Roberts made a layup with four seconds remaining in the quarter to tie the score at 11 before the first break.

A three-pointer by Hartjes gave the Spartans the lead one minute into the second quarter, and sophomore Biz Watson tipped in a missed CWRU shot 90 seconds later to increase the team's lead to five. Behrend reclaimed the advantage with a 6-0 run and took a 30-21 lead with under three minutes to play in the half. The Spartans scored the final three points of the quarter to head into halftime trailing by just four.

A layup from Roberts midway through the third quarter capped a 9-4 run that pushed Case Western Reserve ahead. Behrend regained a six-point lead and increased its advantage to seven, 46-39, with 90 seconds remaining in the period. Schorr collected an offensive rebound and scored on a layup, and Roberts followed up a Miller block with a fastbreak layup to cut the deficit to three. After the Lions missed a three-pointer, Hartjes drained an attempt from distance to tie the score at 46 with 18 seconds left in the quarter. She hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to end the quarter and give the Spartans a 49-46 lead heading into the final frame.

Back-to-back layups by Roberts and Hartjes increased the team's lead to seven to start the fourth quarter with a three-pointer by Plachta putting the team ahead 56-48 with 7:46 left in regulation. The Lions clawed back, cutting the deficit to one, 59-58 with 1:01 left in the game. The Spartans could not convert on their ensuing possession, and Behrend made a layup with no time left to win the game.

CWRU will look to rebound tomorrow when the team faces the host Gators at 4 p.m. to conclude the two-day invitational.

Spartan Notes

• Hartjes matched a career-high with her 16 points, equaling a mark set against WashU on February 4, 2024
• Roberts had a career-best 11 points in the game, surpassing her previous record of eight against Brandeis on January 27, 2023
• Miller eclipsed 10 rebounds for the first time in her career
• The loss stopped a three-game winning streak for the Spartans over the Lions dating back to the 2001-02 season