ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Things looked bleak for the Gorillas women's basketball team with just under six minutes remaining in the first half of the 2014-15 season opener. The No. 24 Pitt State women's basketball team trailed No. 10 Concordia-St. Paul by 17, 29-12. That was certainly not how the team wanted to begin its season, so they took over and went on a 13-2 run to end the half and start the Gorillas on their way to a 66-59 upset of the No. 10 Golden Bears.

Pitt State was 0-for-their-first-9 from three-point range, but Paige Lungwitz broke that spell with a big three to cut the Bears lead to 11 with 2:53 to go in the half. A minute later, free throws by Kylie Gafford cut the Gorilla deficit to single digits for the first time since the 10:14 mark. A fast break jumper by Lizzy Jeronimus brought the Gorillas within seven. Concordia answered with a jumper on the other end, but Mikaela Burgess knocked down her first of five threes for score the final points of the half and put Pitt State within six, 31-25.

The Gorillas came out of the locker room hungry in the second half. Jeronimus drove to the basket immediately, cutting the Bears lead to four. Concordia answered on the other end, but the Gorillas came back again, using a Brigit Hesser layup and a Cathy Brugman three to come within one 33-32 with 16 minutes left. The teams continued to trade buckets and there were two ties before Burgess hit back-to-back threes to give Pitt State its first lead since the early minutes of the game with 12:50 to go.

There were three more ties, the teams traded the lead a couple more times before a Lungwitz layup gave the Gorillas a lead that they would not relinquish to the home team again.

There would be one more tie, however, with 2:30 remaining. After Concordia's Lauren Shifflet hit two free throws to tie the game, Burgess drove down court and missed shot in the lane, but Gafford grabbed an important offense recound and was fouled. She hit both her free throws and made a layup on the next trip down the court to give Pitt State a four-point lead, 63-59. Burgess added two more free throws and Jeronimus, one for the final 66-59 score.

It was a coming out party for freshman Burgess, as she led the Gorillas with 19 points, including a 5-of-6 shooting night from long range. The 5-7 guard also grabbed six rebounds. Gafford also had a great all-around night, as she scored 12 points and led the team with eight rebounds, three assists, two blocks and four steals. She was a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line. Jeronimus added 11 points, six rebounds and two blocked shots. Lungwitz was just under double figures with nine points and also contributed six rebounds. Brugman scored five points and pulled down seven rebounds. 

As a team, the Gorillas outrebounded the Bears by five, 44-39. Pitt State shot a blistering 54.5 percent from three-point range in the second half. The team held Concordia to just eight made shots from the field in the second half and a .276 shooting percentage.

Pitt State will continue play in the Radisson Roseville Classic against Bemidji State at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Bemidji State lost to Fort Hays State, 71-65, earlier on Friday.