Despite seeing four of its players post a double-digit point total on Saturday afternoon, the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team dropped a 74-61 decision to undefeated Denison University at the Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, Ohio.

The loss was the second straight for the Spartans, who fell to 5-3 overall. Denison, which received votes in the latest D3hoops.com Top-25, improved to 9-0 on the year following the victory.

Stats and Standouts

• Junior guard Mya Hartjes led all Spartan players with 16 points, nine rebounds and three assists. She made seven-of-16 shot attempts overall, including two-of-seven from three-point range.

• Senior guard/ forward Emily Plachta added 13 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

• Junior forward Maura Schorr finished the contest with 11 points on four-of-seven shooting overall, including a one-of-two effort from behind the three-point line. She added four rebounds, an assist, a steal, and a block.

• Senior guard Maya Roberts matched her season-high with seven points to go along with four rebounds, an assist, two steals, and a block.

• Junior guard Jordyn Call chipped in 11 points with two assists, two rebounds, a steal, and a block.

First Period

• The Spartans made seven-of-13 shots overall and two-of-four attempts from long range to take a 19-16 lead after the first 10 minutes of the game.

• Plachta opened the game with a three on the first possession of the game, and CWRU remained ahead for the rest of the period.

• Sophomore guard Taylor Angielski came off the bench to hit a three with 4:40 left in the frame, extending CWRU's lead to a game-high six points, 14-8.

• Denison trimmed the Spartan lead to two points in the final minute, but a free throw from Roberts extended the CWRU lead to three heading into the second. 

Second Period

• The Big Red scored the first four points of the second period to take their first lead of the game, but Schorr answered with a three to put CWRU back in front 22-20 at the 8:15 mark.

• Denison regained the lead with 7:23 left in the period and went on to go ahead by eight, 34-28, with 2:26 seconds remaining in the half.

• Hartjes made a layup with 28 seconds remaining in the second to shrink the Spartans' deficit to 34-28 at halftime.

Third Period

• Hartjes connected on a three-pointer to start the third, but Denison went on to score nine of the next 13 points to see its lead balloon to eight, 43-35, with 6:12 to go in the third.

• The Spartans got back within four points, 43-39, after baskets from Plachta and Roberts with 5:30 left in the stanza, but the Big Red built their first double-digit lead of the game with 2:14 left and ended the third with a 15-point advantage, 58-43. 

Fourth Period

• CWRU opened the fourth on a 7-0 run, pulling back within eight points, 58-50, following a Hartjes layup with 7:25 to play.

• The Spartans held Denison without a field goal for the first 4:07 of the fourth, but once the lid came off the basket, an 8-2 run over the next three minutes by the Big Red helped put the game out of reach for the Spartans.

• Denison led by as many as 15 points down the stretch, en route to the 13-point win.

Spartan Notes

• The Spartans shot 41.4% (24-58) from the floor on Saturday, marking the third time this year that the team has shot over 40.0% in a game this year. It was the first time the team had lost a game this season while shooting over 40.0%.

• Plachta, who leads the team with 15.6 points per game this season, has scored at least 10 points in all eight CWRU games.

• CWRU's starting lineup accounted for all but three of the team's points on Saturday.

• Saturday's loss was the Spartans' third-straight to the Big Red, as CWRU fell to 25-24 all-time against Denison.

Up Next

The Spartans will be on hiatus for the next three weeks for finals and the holidays before returning to action at the Baldwin Wallace Holiday Classic at the end of the month. The Spartans will face Oberlin at 3:00 p.m. on Monday, December 29, followed by a matchup against host and 21st-ranked Baldwin Wallace on Tuesday, December 30, also at 3:00 p.m.