FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Playing their third ranked team in as many games, the Indiana Tech women's basketball team got off to a fast start, but tired in the second half in a 65-84 loss to #RV Madonna on Kline Court in the Schaefer Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Crusaders (8-5, 7-1 WHAC) got the scoring started with a layup but Taylor Seiss responded with a three-pointer for the Warriors (7-10, 6-3 WHAC) to take the lead. Madonna went up one with another basket and Tech answered with a 5-0 run to push the advantage to four. A 6-2 run by the Crusaders tied the game for the first time, but Tech scored five unanswered points to take a 15-10 lead. After Madonna cut the lead to one, 15-14, the Orange and Black scored 16 of the next 20 points to push the lead to a game-high 13 points, 31-18 with seven minutes left in the half. It looked like the Warriors had built an insurmountable lead, but the Crusaders closed the half on a 21-11 run to cut the Tech advantage to just three, 42-39, at the break.

Madonna opened the second half with six straight points before Jessica Silva hit a jumper to cut the deficit to one. The Crusaders scored six consecutive points again to extend the lead to seven before Brooke Gerbers and Payton Wood hit back-to-back jumpers to cut the lead to three with 15:22 to play. Unfortunately, the visitors outscored Tech 29-11 over the next 11 minutes to take a 21-point lead, eventually winning 84-65.

The Warriors shot 41 percent (25-for-61) from the field, 25 percent (5-for-20) from behind the arc and 66.7 percent (10-for-15) from the free throw line while tallying 32 rebounds. On defense, the Crusaders shot 50 percent (33-for-66) from the floor, 28.6 percent (6-for-21) from long range and 92.3 percent (12-for-13) from the charity stripe.

Linsey Masnari led the team with 15 points with Seiss adding 14. Gerbers led the team with six rebounds while Rayana Villalpando added five for Tech.

The Warriors return to action on Wednesday, Jan. 7 when they travel to Grand Rapids, Mich. to face Cornerstone at 5:30 p.m.

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