PITTSBURG -- The Gorillas had a sluggish third quarter, allowing No. 25 Fort Hays State within two, but the No. 4 Gorilla women's basketball team came back with a 9-0 run to take their lead back to double digits and hold on for a 70-58 win. 

Sophomore Shelby Lopez came off the bench to lead five Gorillas in double figures with 16. She made four threes on the afternoon. Mikaela Burgess added 14 points and was just one rebound short of a double-double. Elena Flott, Madison Northcutt and Paige Lungwitz each added 10. Flott and Northcutt each had eight rebounds. Hadyn Herlocker added a team-high five assists along with seven rebounds. 

The Gorilla defense was tough, holding the Tigers to just 28 percent (19-67) shooting for the game, including only 12.5 percent in the second quarter. Conversely, Pitt State shot 43 percent (29-67) from the floor, but only 31 percent (9-29) from three-point range.

The first quarter was close. Fort Hays State led by as many as six, 17-11, with 2:43 to go in the opening frame. Pitt State finished the half on a 10-2 run to end the quarter with a 21-19 lead. 

That run continued into the second quarter, as the Gorillas rattled off 10 more points to go up 31-19 with 6:40 to go in the half. Pitt State allowed only seven Tiger points in the second quarter to take a 36-26 lead into the locker room at the half. 

Pitt State led by as many as 14, 48-34, with 4:38 left in the third quarter, but that is when Fort Hays State started chipping at the lead. The Tigers ended the quarter on a 10-2 run and added another three at the start of the fourth quarter to cut the Gorillas lead to two, 52-50. Pitt State quickly answered with a 9-0 run, including five points from Lopez, to go up 61-50. FHSU cut the lead to single digits one more time before another 9-0 run gave the Gorillas their largest lead of the game at 70-54 on a Lopez three with 1:34 remaining. The Tigers scored the last four points of the game, but time ran out, ending in a 70-58 Pitt State win, their ninth of the season. 

The Gorillas will play their last two games before the holiday break next week as they travel to St. Charles, Mo. for a 5:30 p.m. matchup with the Lindenwood Lions on Thursday, December 8 and to Jefferson City, Mo. for a 1:30 p.m. game with the Lincoln Blue Tigers on Saturday, December 10.