Lady Tigers' upset bid comes up short in 78-68 loss to No. 3-ranked Conquistadors

Cowley trailed by only one point (55-54) entering the final quarter of play, but made only 2-of-10 field goal attempts in the fourth quarter, while Dodge City (18-1) went 8-of-14 from the floor as they remain in a first-place tie with Butler at 13-1 in the Jayhawk Conference.

The Lady Tigers fall to 10-9 overall and are in eighth place in the conference with a 6-7 record.

On a night when Cowley had one of its better shooting games of the season, going 10-of-27 from three-point range, the Conquistadors one-upped the Lady Tigers by making 16-of-36 three-point attempts.

"That is who they are, they hit shots," Cowley head coach Todd Clark said.

The Conquistadors hit six three-pointers while building a 22-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. Back-to-back Dodge City three-pointers to open the second quarter extended the Conquistadors' lead to 28-12. However, Lady Tiger freshman Aniyah Burney scored 10 straight points to help Cowley get back in the game.

A three-pointer by freshman Naya Burleson in the closing seconds of the first half helped pull Cowley within 34-31 at halftime.

Cowley would grab its first lead (39-38) on a three-pointer by Burney with 8:00 minutes left in the third quarter and trailed by only one point (55-54) entering the final quarter.

With the game tied at 58-58, Dodge City would score nine straight points and went on to the 78-68 road win.

"We were competitive, but have got to find a way to get over the hump," Cowley head coach Todd Clark said. "We seem to struggle in the fourth quarter of games."

Aniyah Burney led Cowley with 22 points, but went 0-for-5 from the floor in the fourth quarter. Megan Simon added 13 points, while Naya Burleson chipped in with 11.

Jolie Mantz led Dodge City with 21 points on 6-of-9 shooting from beyond the arc, while Jade Celerier added 13 points and eight assists.

Cowley will now turn its attention to Wednesday night's contest when it plays at Cloud County at 6 p.m. The T-Birds are 8-11 overall and 4-10 in the Jayhawk Conference.

The Lady Tigers won the first matchup between the teams, 86-81, on November 25 in Arkansas City.

"Cloud is a tough place to play," Clark said. "We have got to find a way to come out victorious."

Box score:

Dodge City (78): Jolie Mantz 7-11 1-2 21, Jordi Perry 1-2 0-0 3, Jade Celerier 5-6 2-2 13, Manuela Piljevic 6-11 0-0 15, Saje Evans 0-4 0-0 0, Charlie Melksham 2-2 0-1 4, Savi Mi 4-11 1-2 13, Mailey Cunningham 2-7 0-0 5, Sofia Ahmed 2-3 0-0 4, Morgan Ruff 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 29-57 4-7 78.

Cowley (68): Zuzanna Komor 2-7 1-2 5, Mallory Jackson 3-10 1-3 9, Aniyah Burney 7-21 3-4 22, Naya Burleson 4-9 0-0 11, Megan Simon 4-8 5-6 13, Zari Walker 4-5 0-0 8, Saliyah Henderson-Johnson 0-3 0-0 0. Totals: 24-63 10-13 68.

Three-pointers: Dodge City 16-36 (Mantz 6-9, Mi 4-11, Piljevic 3-6, Cunningham 1-5, Jordi Perry 1-2, Celerier 1-2, Evans 0-1), Cowley 10-27 (Burney 5-12, Burleson 3-6, Jackson 2-6, Komor 0-2, Henderson-Johnson 0-1). Rebounds: Dodge 32 (Piljevic 8), Cowley 28 (Komor 7).