LOS ANGELES – The LMU women's basketball team (3-1) suffered its first loss of the season today, falling to Northern Arizona (4-1) by just one point, 63-62. This was Game 2 of the 21st Annual LMU Thanksgiving Classic, as SMU (3-3) defeated Robert Morris (1-4) earlier in the day, 60-55. LMU and Robert Morris will play in the tournament's consolation game at 12:30 p.m. tomorrow, while Northern Arizona and SMU will battle for the championship at 3.

The Lions got off to a solid start early on in today's game, leading by as many as 11 points in the first quarter. Sophomore Chelsey Gipson paced LMU in the first with five points as Bree Alford did it all for the Lions, tallying four points, four rebounds and two assists in the opening 10 minutes. LMU held a 23-16 advantage after one.

NAU nearly evened it up at the half, coming within one at 34-33 after outscoring the Lions 17-11 in the second quarter. Alford and Gipson continued their strong play in the second, as Alford finished the half with eight boards and six points while Gipson moved into double-figure scoring with 10 points to go along with three assists.
 
The Lions edged the Lumberjacks 15-14 in the third to take a 49-47 lead into the final frame. Alford secured a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds in the third.

Gipson hit a jumper to give the Lions a three-point lead at the 2:26 mark of the fourth but NAU followed with two made free throws to bring it within one and then capitalized on a missed LMU 3-pointer by securing the rebound and taking it to the other end to score and take over the lead 61-60. Gipson once again came to LMU's rescue, splitting the Lumberjacks' defense for a layup to put the Lions back up by one, 62-61, with 11 seconds remaining.

NAU quickly scored at the other end as Caitlin Malvar drove inside for the close jumper, giving them the lead once again at 63-62 with 7.4 seconds left. LMU was unable to score to finish out the game and the Lumberjacks took the win.
 
Gipson finished with a team-high 16 points along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals. Alford racked up a game-high 12 rebounds with her 12 points and also dished out three assists. Junior Cierra Belvin also posted double-figure scoring for the Lions, tallying 10 points and a game-high four steals. Senior Andee Velasco added eight points with a team-high four assists and two steals.
 
LMU held a 42-38 edge on the boards in the contest and outscored NAU 38-28 in the paint. The Lions forced 21 Lumberjacks' turnovers while committing 19 of their own. LMU shot just 36.4 percent for the game while NAU shot 44.8 percent in the win.