Roughriders Fall in Road Battle at Mineral Area

Crowder College built an early cushion but couldn’t hold off a second-half surge as Mineral Area College pulled away for a 72–65 win Wednesday night at Bob Sechrest Fieldhouse.

The Roughriders jumped out to a strong start, holding Mineral Area to just three points in the opening quarter while taking a 17–3 lead. Crowder continued to control the pace in the second period, outscoring the Cardinals 25–21 to take a 42–24 advantage into halftime.

Crowder shot 45 percent from the floor in the first half and shared the ball well, finishing the night with 17 assists. Lexie Henry led the way offensively, scoring a team-high 15 points, while Abbey Green added 10 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting and pulled down eight rebounds. Cecilia Scarpatti and Irene Navarro each chipped in eight points off the bench.

Mineral Area responded after the break, using a 24–5 third quarter to erase the deficit and swing momentum. The Cardinals continued their push in the fourth, outscoring Crowder 24–18 to complete the comeback.

Despite the loss, Crowder matched Mineral Area on the glass with 44 rebounds, led by Green’s eight boards and Camdyn Hart’s seven. Hart also added six assists, while Anja Södergård contributed seven points and three assists off the bench.

Crowder finished the game shooting 41.3 percent from the field, but struggled at the free-throw line, going 8-of-15. Mineral Area was led by Mariah Dallas with 20 points and PJ Reutzel with 19 points and 13 rebounds.

Crowder falls to 15-8 (3-4 Region 16).  The Roughriders host #10 Three Rivers on Saturday at 2:00 PM.