ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball (0-1) dropped their season opener in the Radisson Hotel Roseville Classic to Pittsburg State (1-0) on Friday night.  The Gorillas erased a 17 point deficit to pull out the win.
 
It was a tale of two halves as the Golden Bears dominated play in the opening half and the Gorillas took control after the break.  Overall, CU held a slight edge with a 35.0% shooting percentage while Pitt State shot 34.5% for the game and committed one less turnover with 14 compared to 15 for PSU. The Gorillas won the battle on the glass with 44 boards while CU collected 39.
 
Ameshia Kearney was effective on offense with 17 points on 7-14 shooting and 3-5 from beyond the arc. She consistently got to the hoop with ease and added three rebounds and two steals.
 

CU Women's BB vs. Pittsburg State 11.14.2014 - Images by Justin Oakman

Anika Whiting was a force on the glass as she set a new career high with 16 rebounds to go along with 16 points to pick up her first double-double of the season. She also added three blocks in the effort.
 
Lauren Shifflett provided a spark off the bench with 12 points on 4-7 shooting and 2-5 from three.
 
Mikaela Burgess carried the Pitt State offense off the bench with 19 points on 6-8 shooting and 5-6 from three with six rebounds in 24 minutes.
 
Kylie Gafford and Lizzy Jeronimus also scored in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
 
The Golden Bears got off to a fast start as they ran out to a 19-8 lead at the 10:34 mark of the first half. Pitt State was ice cold as they missed their first nine three point attempts. Their first make didn't come until the 2:53 mark in the first half. Concordia saw their lead reach as large as 17 at 29-12 with 5:49 to go in the first half. CU went cold down the stretch as the Gorillas went on a 13-2 run to go into the half down just 31-25.
 
Kearney was electric as she made 5-6 in the first half and 2-3 from beyond the arc with 12 points. Shifflett also added 10 of her 12 before the break.
 
Concordia connected on 41.9% of their attempts in the half while Pitt State hit just 30.0%.
 
A 7-2 run in favor of the Gorillas cut the lead to one at 33-32. PSU continued to turn up the pressure as they took the lead at 41-38 with 12:50 to go. With the score tied at 43, the Golden Bears hit back-to-back threes to take a 49-43 lead at the 9:55 mark to force a PSU timeout. It seemed to work out as the Gorillas embarked on a 10-0 run spanning just over two minutes to take a 53-49 lead. CU regained the lead with a three and a free throw from Amanda Barton to make it 55-54 with 5:31 to play but it wouldn't last. A 5-0 Pitt State run gave them the lead back and CU wouldn't lead again. Shifflett tied it up with 2:30 to go at 59-59 but the Gorillas held the Golden Bears scoreless the rest of the way as they cruised to a 66-59 win.
 
Concordia will look to get into the win column tomorrow at 5 p.m. as they take on Fort Hays State. Pitt State will play Bemidji State at 3 p.m.