RICHMOND, Ind.  — The Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College women's basketball team fell to IU-East, 71-60, on Saturday afternoon. With the loss, the Pomeroys drop to 13-11 overall and 5-7 in the River States Conference.

Leading the way for the Pomeroys was junior guard Madison Fueger, who played a standout game, recording 20 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field. Fueger also grabbed six rebounds, recorded six steals and blocked two shots.

In addition, senior Abby Worley added 10 points and contributed five rebounds and two assists. With her two assists in the game, Worley now has 382 career assists, just nine shy of Darci Rector's record for the all-time career assists mark at SMWC.

The Pomeroys faced a tough first half, as IU-East surged ahead early. Despite a strong second half effort from SMWC, which saw Fueger and others keep the team competitive, they were unable to overcome the Red Wolves' consistent shooting. IU-East finished with 25 field goals, shooting 37.3% from the field.

The game began with a layup by SMWC's Madison Fueger, assisted by Samara Douglas, giving the Pomeroys an early 2-0 advantage. However, IU-East quickly responded as Onyinyechi Sanders converted a layup and an ensuing free throw to put the Red Wolves ahead, 3-2.

The two teams exchanged missed layups before Fueger made another layup to give SMWC a 4-2 lead with 8:05 remaining. IU-East's Taylor Farris, however, sparked a run for the Red Wolves. A fast-break layup by Farris and a three-pointer pushed the home team to a 10-4 lead with just under five minutes left in the quarter.

Fueger continued to drive the Pomeroys' offense, scoring another layup and adding a quick steal and layup to cut IU-East's lead to 10-8 with 4:37 remaining. However, IU-East's offense remained potent, with Farris hitting another three-pointer to extend the lead to 17-11 as the clock ticked down to 3:07.

SMWC's Abby Worley and Destiny Thomas combined to keep the Pomeroys in the game, with Thomas assisting on a three-pointer by Kylee Stepp that brought the score to 17-14 with just over a minute remaining.

The second quarter opened with both teams trying to establish a rhythm. After a pair of misses from SMWC's Diamond Bryant and Indiana East's Sally Mortensen, it was Indiana East's Rilee Terry who struck first with a layup in the paint, pushing the lead to 23-17 at the 9:53 mark.

The Pomeroys responded with a strong offensive surge. A free throw from Samara Douglas and a 3-pointer by Irye Gomez cut Indiana East's lead to 25-21 midway through the quarter. However, Indiana East maintained their momentum, highlighted by a series of layups, including a fast break conversion by Lexie Cole that extended their advantage to 29-24 with just under four minutes to play.

The teams exchanged turnovers and steals in the final minutes, with Bryant contributing two made free throws for St. Mary-Woods, narrowing the gap to just one point, 32-31, with 2:39 left. But a 3-pointer from Gracie Kramer at 3:07 and two more free throws from Trinity Archey kept the Indiana East offense humming, ending the half with a 36-33 lead.

The final frame began with Indiana East holding a comfortable 59-44 lead, and it was Peyton Wells who extended the advantage early, converting a layup to make it 61-44 at the 6:47 mark. Despite a quick response from SMWC, with Diamond Bryant and Abby Worley hitting key shots to trim the deficit, Indiana East's defense and timely scoring kept them in control.

A 3-pointer from Taylor Farris at 3:31 pushed Indiana East's lead to 66-54, and though St. Mary-Woods fought back with strong individual performances from Madison Fueger and Destiny Thomas, Indiana East continued to capitalize on the boards and defensive stops.

Farris helped seal the win with another 3-pointer at 2:41, extending the lead to 68-54. Despite a late surge from St. Mary-Woods, including a layup from Fueger and a jumper from Thomas, the margin was too wide to overcome.

Wells, who finished the game with a strong performance, was key in maintaining Indiana East's lead throughout the quarter, while Farris provided the finishing touches with clutch shooting from beyond the arc.

The Pomeroys made things interesting with a couple of late baskets, including a layup by Fueger and a jumper from Thomas, but Indiana East held strong, finishing with a 71-60 win.

SMWC will look to bounce back when they travel to IU-Southeast for a 7:30 p.m. ET tipoff on Tuesday, February 11.