FORT WAYNE, Ind. – The Indiana Tech women's basketball team battled tough with eight-ranked Davenport on Saturday afternoon at the Schaefer Center but came up just short in a heart-breaking 84-80 defeat.
 
Sophomore guard Haley Cook had a game-high 23 points while dishing out a career-high eight assists, pulling down six rebounds and had two steals. Freshman forward Kendall Knapke recorded her second double-double in as many games by scoring 12 points and grabbing 10 rebounds and had a career-high four blocks. Junior guard Taylor Seiss scored 12 points while senior forward Taylor Carver had 11 points. Senior Rayana Villalpando added nine points, six rebounds and five assists while junior Sarah White and freshman Claire Volpenhein combined for 13 points off the bench.
 
In a game that saw eight ties and 16 lead changes, the Warriors gave the defending Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) champions all they could handle and more for 40 minutes. Seiss would hit back-to-back three-pointers in the opening period to put Tech up 8-6 with just over three minutes gone in the quarter but the lead would change thrice more with Davenport holding a 20-18 advantage after 10 minutes.
 
The Panthers would extend their lead to as much as seven points in the second period but the Orange and Black would use a 13-4 run to take a 36-34 lead with 2:19 to play in the half. Following a basket from DU's Alex Law to tie it back up, Cook would answer with an and-one play only to see Law respond with a three-pointer of her own immediately afterwards.
 
A fast-break layup from White with seven seconds left appeared to give the Warriors the momentum heading into the break but a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Amanda Merz brought the number eight team in the nation to within a point at 43-42.
 
The drama would continue into the second half as Tech used a 7-0 run to go up 59-53 with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter but the Panthers would counterpunch with a 6-0 spurt of their own. After trading free throws, Knapke would hit a jumper and Villalpando made two free throws to go up 64-59, but Momo Neal hit a runner in the paint at the buzzer to bring Davenport within 64-61, setting up the final period.
 
Davenport would take the lead with a 6-2 run to open the fourth quarter only to see Cook score immediately the next time down to give Tech the 68-67 lead with 8:05 to go.
 
A three-minute scoreless drought then hit both sides as the two teams went a combined 0-for-7 and three turnovers. The frustration level boiled over at the 5:02 mark as Carver was called for her fourth foul and then picked up a technical just seconds later to foul out of the game. Davenport would convert all four free throw attempts to take a 71-68 lead and added two more buckets for a seven-point advantage with 4:07 to go.
 
A triple from Cook would stop the bleeding temporarily, but the Panthers would extend the lead back to eight points with 42 seconds left and hold on for the hard-fought victory.
 
Tech (13-9, 9-5 WHAC) continues its three-game homestand on Wednesday when they welcome Siena Heights to the Summit City. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. from the Schaefer Center and the game will serve as the Warriors Coaches vs. Cancer game, with donations being accepted to the American Cancer Society. Links to live stats and video will be available at IndianaTechWarriors.com.