This was not supposed to happen. The Park University Gilbert women's basketball team, coming off of a 63-point win in its last game was expected to win again against a one-win Mount Marty team this evening.  But the Buccaneers were upset 65-63 by the Lancers who knocked down a season high 11 three-pointers en route to the victory.

"We showed our youth today," said Park Gilbert head coach Jeff Fore.  "When we had the lead, we needed to slow things down and control the tempo and we sped up. We also had tired legs at the end; it will be nice to get some of our injured players back to give us some depth after the break."

The whole game was a back and forth affair with the Lancers leading after the first frame 21-20. Both teams shot well from the floor with the Lancers making 54 percent of their shots and the Bucs hitting 57 percent.  Five of MMU's seven made shots in the quarter were three-pointers.  The Bucs were 3-6 themselves from downtown.

Both teams cooled off in the second quarter. The Lancers only made two shots as they shot 17 percent from the floor while the Bucs were slightly better, hitting on 33 percent of their shots.  The Bucs outscored the Lancers 13-5 in the frame and took the lead going into the half 33-26.

The third quarter was played evenly as MMU only cut into the deficit by one and the Bucs led by six.  The Lancers improved their shooting in the quarter to 50 percent, while the Bucs shot 42 percent. 

The Bucs (7-5) had not lost a game this year when leading after three quarters.  This mark would not hold true tonight as the Bucs struggled from the floor in the final stanza only scoring 12 points and shooting 29 percent. The Lancers on the other hand shot 54 percent from the floor as they scored 20 points and won the game by two.  The Buccaneers had a chance with 9.8 seconds remaining to tie or win the game but could only muster a desperation three as time expired which hit off the backboard but was not close.

The Buccaneers who have started and played four freshmen for most of the month of December, shot 40 percent for the game and 30 percent from three-point range. They continue to struggle from the free throw line only making 50 percent (4-8) of their free throws. MMU outrebounded the Bucs 41-32, but Park won the turnover battle forcing 28 Lancer turnovers and converting those into 25 points.  The Buccaneers only turned it over 13 times themselves. Both teams held the lead five times, with the Buccaneers holding a nine-point advantage at one point.   

Point guard Jayla Reliford who set career highs in rebounds and assists in the last game, came close to a quadruple double tonight as she led the team with 15 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and seven steals.  Kayla Schroeder also poured in 15 points, to go along with six rebounds and three steals. Allison Hadaway kicked in 11 points off the bench.

The Bucs now head in the holiday break with 10 days off before they take the floor again with their last two non-conference games before starting Cal Pac Conference competition. The Bucs will host Spring Arbor University on Wednesday, December 29 at 7:30 p.m. and Trinity International on Thursday, December 30 and 1:30 p.m.