FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Lourdes women's basketball (11-4) (7-2 in WHAC) lost to No. 22 Indiana Tech (11-4) (8-1 in WHAC) 56 to 77 on Wednesday evening, dropping from second to third place in the conference.

The first place Warriors are now 6-1 at home in the Schaefer Center and are tied with Rochester Christian atop the WHAC standings. Meanwhile, Lourdes is still just a game back from first place after the loss with more than half of the conference season left to be played.

The loss to Indiana Tech was a tale of two halves. Lourdes led Indiana Tech 31-29 at the half, largely due to senior guard Emma Pedroza's red hot start to the game. The playmaker from Napoleon, Ohio shot 46.7% from the field and scored 17 points in the first two quarters alone. She ended up with 25 points by the end of the game to lead all scorers.

Indiana Tech's explosive three-point offense was kept in bay in the first half by the Gray Wolves' stifling defense, holding the Warriors to 28.6% shooting from beyond the arc.

However, the game seismically shifted in the second half when redshirt sophomore guard Gabby Richie came off the bench and knocked down three straight threes to spark the Warriors offense. Overall, Indiana Tech shot 55.6% from three and 68.8% from the field in the third quarter, resulting in 28 points and a seven-point Warrior lead.

In the fourth quarter, it was Indiana Tech's defense that took center stage, holding Lourdes to just nine points on 23.5% shooting to pull away with the 21-point victory.  

Junior Kaylona Butler scored 16 points for Lourdes in the game to accompany Pedroza as the team's other double-digit scorer. Nearly 73% of the shots taken by Lourdes were by Pedroza or Butler (45 out of 62). The duo shot an impressive 7-for-14 from deep in the game.

Coach Bradford's Postgame Comments
"We had a very solid first half and knew some of the advantages they were building," Coach Bradford said. "In the second half, we weren't as locked in to our assignments or rebounding as we should have been to get the outcome on the road. Tech completed the job and we will look at the spots we can be better at for the run in the WHAC until we match up again."

Next Game
Lourdes will take on eighth-place Siena Heights on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. on the road as part of another conference men's and women's double header.