NORTH MANCHESTER, IND. – Manchester University placed three players in scoring double figures Saturday, Dec. 31, but it wasn't quite enough to overcome a gritty performance by visiting Rust College.

The Lady Bearcats out of Holly Springs, Miss., beginning a two-game trip in northeast Indiana and the Chicagoland area, used a pair of free throws from leading scorer Jazmine Golden with eight seconds left to break a 60-60 tie and gain their first win of the season. MU, dipping to 3-8 and seeing a three-game win streak snapped, had an opportunity to force an extra session on their final possession but missed a pair of free throws with just over a second left and couldn't convert a put-back at the buzzer.

Golden's 25 points on 10-of-16 shooting went along with six rebounds and four steals to fuel Rust (1-12). Megan Rayford also proved tough on the home side's inside opposition garnering a double-double of 14 points and 10 rebounds to go along with three blocked shots. MU saw junior forward/center Samantha Bolen (Greenwood, Ind.) tally 12 points for her fourth straight double-digit scoring contest, while senior guard Jenifer Lee (Rockville, Ind.) and sophomore center Maddy Minehart (Auburn, Ind.) wound up with 10 each. Minehart battled away against the strong visiting front line, as she also had a blocked shot and six rebounds, while junior forward/center Torrie Christlieb (Culver, Ind.) ended with a team-best nine boards.

Coach Josh Dzurick's squad looks to keep its recent winning ways in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action going Wednesday, Jan. 4. They make a southern journey to Franklin College for a 7:30 p.m. tipoff with a modest two-game league win string in tow which has them tied for fifth.