St. Mary's, Ind. – A late fourth quarter rally by the IU Southeast women's basketball team came up just short as the Grenadiers would fall to St. Mary-of-the-Woods 58-56 on Saturday.

Emmy Ralph led the Grenadiers in scoring with 16 points. Leah Miller scored 15 points and Brynna Blackburn added 10 points in starting roles. Lettie Nice added 18 rebounds in the contest.

IU Southeast (5-6, 2-2 RSC) dominated the first quarter, extending their lead to as many as 12 points. A 9-0 run gave IU Southeast an 11-2 lead, and a Brynna Blackburn three gave the Grenadiers an 18-7 lead after one.

The Grenadiers maintained the lead for the entire second quarter despite getting outscored 20-14 in the period. The big turn started with 6:51 left in the second. An Emmy Ralph jumper gave IU Southeast a 24-9 lead, but SMWC answered with a 12-0 run to bring the score to within three at 24-21. The Grenadiers held a 32-27 lead at the half.

SMWC would tie the game 36-36 in the third quarter, but IU Southeast seemed to have an answer for every run. After SMWC tied the game, IU Southeast answered with four straight points. Despite the scare, the Grenadiers led 44-40 after three quarters.

The fourth quarter was where the tide of the game turned. SMWC scored the first six points of the quarter to take their first lead of the game. An Emmy Ralph layup tied the game, but SMWC answered with five straight points to take a 51-46 lead. A Maddie Knight three brought the lead down to two, but SMWC responded yet again, extending their lead to nine at 58-49.  

IU Southeast scored the final seven points of the game, but ultimately it was not enough as SMWC would go on to win 58-56.

Both teams shot under 40 percent from the field. The Grenadiers hit six of their 25 threes, and SMWC hit four of their 11 attempts from deep. There were only nine total free throw attempts in the game.

IU Southeast returns home to take on Kentucky Christian on Wednesday.