KOKOMO, Ind. -- The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College women's basketball team laid it all in the line before narrowly falling 71-70 at IU-Kokomo in River States Conference action on Tuesday evening (Jan. 14).

The Pomeroys fell to 9-7, 2-3 in RSC play while IU-Kokomo improved to 7-9, 3-2 RSC. SMWC is back at home on Saturday, January 18 inside the Knoerle Center when they host Midway (Ky.).

Destiny Thomas led the way with 18 points pouring in some big shots down the stretch while Brooklynn Jones tallied 17. Samara Douglas added 10 points for the Pomeroys. Douglas added three blocked shots while Jones was credited with six steals in the game. Madison Fueger continued her strong play with eight rebounds in the contest.

Thomas led SMWC with a trio of 3-pointers in the game including a pair in the final five seconds of an exciting finish.

Jones scored first for the Pomeroys and a 3-pointer from Fueger staked SMWC to a 5-3 lead. Abigail Parker answered a 9-0 Cougar run with a trifecta to keep SMWC close. An Irye Gomez bucket with 2:24 left in the opening stanza answered a 6-0 run and Thomas tallied a lay-up to make it 18-12 with just under two minutes left. Thomas would connect on a trifecta but IU-Kokomo scored at the buzzer for a 24-15 lead at the end of the first period.

SMWC got strong on the defensive end to open the second quarter and Jones hit back-to-back jumpers to get the Pomeroys within five points. A jumper by Diamond Bryant and a free throw from Douglas in the final minute sent the Pomeroys into the half trailing 34-28.

Bryant and Thomas each scored in the final minute of the third quarter to head into the final 10 minutes with IU-Kokomo leading 50-46. 

A lay-up by Thomas with just over two minutes to go got the Pomeroys within 65-60. A steal from Bryant and a lay-up by Gomez made it a one possession game 65-62 with 1:26 remaining. Thomas drained a 3-pointer with five seconds remaining to get the Pomeroys within 69-67. She hit another 3-pointer at the buzzer but the Cougars had hit both of their free throws as SMWC narrowly fell in the contest 71-70.