The Dominican University women's basketball team nearly completed a double-digit fourth quarter comeback against the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) leading Benedictine University Eagles, coming up just short in a 69-64 loss on the road Tuesday evening.
 
"Tonight our kids played their hearts out," said Dominican University's fourth-year head coach Gabby Johnson.  "We competed with one of the better teams in the conference in every aspect of the game.  This is a building block for our season and our program."
 
"I can't wait to get back in the gym tomorrow and get after it," continued Johnson.
 
The Stars' Shamia Clark (Rock Island, Ill.) knocked down a three-pointer on the Stars' first possession of the fourth quarter to spark a 28-point quarter for Dominican and pulled the Stars within 13 at 52-39.
 
Over the next six minutes, the Stars outscored the Eagles 12-6 over the next five minutes to narrow the gap all the way down to seven, 58-51 on a three by Allie Tapanes (Winfield, Ill.) with 4:30 to play.
 
After the Eagles built the lead back to double-digits with one minute to play, the Stars scored nine points in 45 seconds, including a pair of three's by junior Angela Evola (Marseilles, Ill.) to pull within three, 67-64 with 16 seconds to play.  However the Eagles' Raven Willis knocked down a pair of free throws and Benedictine then turned the Stars over in the final moments to hang on for the win.
 
Jasmyn Hardin (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored a team-high 14 points to pace four Stars' in double-digits.  Tapanes, Clark and Claudia DeNigris (Addison, Ill.) all chipped in 12 points apiece in the losing effort as the Stars shot 22-for-63 from the field, including going 8-for-21 from three-point range.
 
DeKayla Crayton came off the Eagles' bench to score a game-high 15 points on 5-for-8 shooting to pace Benedictine.
 
The Stars, now 2-10 on the season and 1-6 in NACC play, return to action on Saturday, hosting the Lakeland College Muskies for a 4:15 p.m. tipoff in the Igini Sports Forum.