GREELEY, Colo. - Freshman Shaila Forman scored 18 points in her first college game at Lamar University, but the Cardinals suffered a late fourth-quarter collapse and fell to Northern Colorado, 72-68 in overtime Saturday afternoon.

Forman (5-of-14 shooting) was one of three Cardinals to reach double figures, with junior Jacei Denley and sophomore Molly Powell adding 13 and 12 points, respectively. Taliah Hill and Solenne Olenga each grabbed six rebounds, while R'Mani Taylor contributed three steals.

LU (0-1) shot 40.5 percent (25-of-62) from the field, including four three-pointers, and scored 19 points off the bench. The Cardinals edged UNC in rebounds, 37-36, including 17 offensive boards. The Bears capitalized on 17 LU turnovers, converting them into 20 points.

Both teams opened the contest with four points before the Cardinals went on a 9-3 run fueled by three-pointers from Denley, who scored eight in the first quarter, and Forman. LU shot 30.8 percent from the field in the first 10 minutes and led 13-7.

As the second quarter began, free throws from Powell and Forman extended LU's early lead to 17-7 at the eight-minute mark. Over the rest of the half, UNC heated up, shooting 61.7 percent from the field, and went on a 23-8 run to lead 30-25. Four-straight points from Forman helped cut the deficit to one at halftime.

The Cardinals started the third quarter on a 10-2 run to lead 39-32. Although the Bears narrowed the gap to 39-36, Big Red responded with a 10-0 run to lead 49-43. Olenga took control of the paint with six of her nine points.

Heading into the fourth quarter, the Cardinals carried over their momentum, going up 58-47 with 5:41 remaining. The Bears scored six straight points before LU got a bucket from Powell to lead 60-53. UNC mounted a last-minute comeback, including a game-tying three with 16 seconds left. The Cardinals couldn't get a final shot off, and the game went into overtime.

The Bears started the extra five minutes with seven of the first nine points. LU tied the game at 68 with lay-ups from veteran guards Denley and R'Mani Taylor, but the Bears would score the final four points to secure the victory

Big Red will cross the border into Kansas for the first of two Big XII contests against Kansas State. The game tips off at 6:30 p.m., and will be streamed on ESPN+. 
 

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