Box Score

ELLENSBURG, Wash. — With just under two minutes to play, Danielle Jardine tossed in a pair of free throws and the Crusaders look poised for a big victory.

But the Coyotes had different plans.

Cal State San Bernardino rallied with an 11-1 run in the final moments to steal a 73-69 victory in the first game of Saturday's Wildcat Thanksgiving Classic hosted by Central Washington.

"We made some real rookie mistakes at the end of that game that cost us, but we are young and we are improving," NNU head coach Steve Steele said.

With just one senior on the roster, and with pre-season All-GNAC guard Ellie Logan at home sick, Northwest Nazarene (2-2 overall) did everything necessary to get into position to win it as Jardine's free throws put NNU on top, 68-62, with 1:50 remaining.

Then, the Crusaders missed 3-of-4 free throws and turned the ball over three times down the stretch as the Coyotes (3-1) scored nine straight to take the lead, 71-68, on an Ashley Coleman 3-pointer with 12 seconds to play.

"Last night we played two quarters of defense," Steele said. "Tonight we played three. If we ever play four quarters we will be really tough to beat."

NNU's defense worked hard to shut down a CSU San Bernardino attack that got rolling early, as a Mya Johnson layup put the Crusaders in a 27-14 hole in the opening quarter.

A pair of turnovers and a defensive stand helped the Crusaders late, and a Kate Cryderman 3-ball made it 27-21 headed to the second.

The comeback continued in the second quarter, with Avery Albrecht's 3-point cutting the difference to 41-38 just before halftime, then a Kaitlyn Merritt bucket followed by a Danielle Jardine layup put NNU on top 57-55 at the end of three quarters.

A Jardine layup pushed NNU's lead to as much as 64-57 in the fourth quarter, and then those two freebies by Jardine had the Crusaders looking strong, up six points in the final two minutes before the Coyotes made their winning charge.

McKenna Walker led the way for a balanced NNU attack, scoring 11 points, while Lexi Tubbs and Marina Vallés each scored nine, and Raquel Jardine led the Crusaders on the glass with nine rebounds.

"I was really happy with the way we rebounded and shared the ball," Steele said as all 11 Crusaders scored.

NNU now returns home for a brief Great Northwest Athletic Conference preview, hosting Central Washington at the Johnson Sports Center on Tuesday at 7 p.m., then Montana State Billings on Thursday at 5:15 p.m. in league games.