RALEIGH, N.C. – The Mary Baldwin University women's basketball team fell to Meredith, 60-54, in USA South action on Saturday afternoon.

With the result, the Fighting Squirrels drop to 12-10 on the season with a 7-7 record in divisional play. Meanwhile, the Avenging Angels move to 8-14 overall behind a 4-9 mark in league action.

Demet Saygili led all scorers with 17 points. She also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds to go with five assists. Mary Moran and Codie Heilig each finished with 10 points, while Heilig grabbed eight rebounds. Nicole Mallon finished with eight points and eight rebounds, while Hannah Varner recorded three points, three rebounds and four assists.

For the Angels, Kimberly Schuh led with 17 points to go with 11 rebounds and four assists. Kate Perko registered 12 points and 12 rebounds with three blocks, while Madison Gladwell finished with 14 points and three steals.

The Fighting Squirrels started the game on a 12-5 run that elapsed five minutes off the clock. The Angels cut the lead down to five points at 14-9 with three minutes left in the first, but a Heilig layup and a three-pointer from Brooke Anders quickly made it a 10-point game with 1:41 left in the period. Meredith got the next five points before each side traded threes in the final seconds of the quarter as MBU held a 22-17 lead after one.

Perko hit a jumper to start the second quarter as the Angles trimmed the deficit to three points at 22-19 before the Fighting Squirrels rattled off three-consecutive baskets to go ahead by nine points with 4:49 left in the half. The teams each exchanged baskets over the last five minutes as MBU led 35-25 at the break.

Mary Baldwin shot nearly 50.0 percent from the field in the first half, but the second half was a different story, however, as the team's shooting percentage dropped to under 25 percent in the second half. The Avenging Angels outscored MBU 19-11 in the third quarter, including a 10-2 run to close out the period. However, MBU held on to a 46-44 advantage entering the final quarter.

Saygili scored the first basket of the fourth quarter nearly three minutes into the period to push the lead to 48-44. Three-straight baskets by the Angels, including a pair of layups from Perko, gave Meredith a 50-48 lead with five minutes left in regulation. A three-pointer from Heilig gave the lead back to Mary Baldwin, but MC outscored MBU 10-3 over the last five minutes to walk away with a 60-54 victory.

For the game, Mary Baldwin shot 37.1 percent (23-62) from the floor compared to a 34.5 percent clip from the Angels. Mary Baldwin also outrebounded the home side 43-34.

The Fighting Squirrels are right back at it tomorrow, Feb. 9 as they travel to take on Pfeiffer at 4 pm.

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