Box Score

LAS VEGAS — This was an effort the Crusaders could be proud of, regardless of what the scoreboard read.

The Northwest Nazarene women's basketball team closed out its nonconference schedule with a stellar performance Friday afternoon against the No. 4 team in the nation, battling hard in a 76-69 setback to West Texas A&M at the South Point Holiday Classic.

A nice turnaround after a disappointing game Thursday to open the tournament.

"Today I thought that, even though we weren't perfect, we showed ourselves that when we're mentally locked in to what needs to get done and play and compete with a ton of energy for 40 minutes, then we're capable of big things," NNU head women's basketball coach Ryan Bragdon said.

"I think that's the main positive taken out of this game against legitimately a top team in the country, the fact that we are capable of so much more than we think we are, and for a young, growing team, that's very important."

The Crusaders (3-8 overall, 1-1 GNAC) battled bucket for bucket with the Lady Buffs (9-1), taking a 7-3 lead early on a Taylor Simmons layup and building a 22-17 lead on a Kate Cryderman 3-pointer followed by another Simmons lay-in.

A Cierra White basket gave NNU a 28-27 lead with four minutes left until halftime before fourth-ranked West Texas A&M began to inch away, taking a 40-34 edge at halftime that grew to 47-34 early in the second half.

But the Crusaders stayed close to the Lady Buffs, trailing 66-60 after a Katie Swanson bucket with 6 minutes left, and trimmed the lead to 72-67 with a little over a minute to play, but NNU just couldn't complete the upset.

Still, a stellar effort for the Crusaders in their final tune-up before the bulk of the GNAC slate, which begins at No. 3-ranked Alaska Anchorage on New Year's Day for NNU.

"Despite our record and the various ups and downs we've experienced throughout the nonconference schedule, I do feel we've learned a lot and everyone has gotten valuable playing experience," Bragdon said. "We continue to make strides and are very close to playing more confident, complete games as a team."

For the second straight day Simmons led the way, earning All-Tournament Team honors as she scored 21 points for NNU while adding three assists and three steals.

"Taylor is showing that she is an elite point guard by not only giving maximum effort every single possession, but she is also consistently producing at a very high level," Bragdon said.

Cryderman helped out with 15 points and seven rebounds and Swanson added eight points and 10 boards for the Crusaders in the contest.