BELOIT, Wis. - Despite a strong second-half push and some inspired moments, the Beloit College women's basketball team fell to North Park University 63-55 in a hard-fought contest at Flood Arena this afternoon. 

The Buccaneers (0-6, 0-0 MWC), showed resilience throughout the game, particularly in the second half where they matched North Park's (2-4, 0-0 CCIW) intensity. Junior Hailey Johnson (South Milwaukee, Wis.) led Beloit's effort with 15 points, including a crucial three-pointer late in the fourth quarter that cut the deficit to single digits.

The game started promisingly for the Bucs, who jumped out to an early 4-0 lead behind Johnson's aggressiveness down low. However, North Park's Caroline Long, who finished with a game-high 20 points, helped the Vikings weather the early storm and build a lead that would prove difficult to overcome.

Beloit showed impressive fight in the third quarter, outscoring North Park 17-12 behind some sharp shooting from Aina Mallorqui (Valls, Spain) who connected from three-point range, and strong interior play from Hadja Bayo (Round Rock, Texas), who finished with 6 points and 9 rebounds. The Bucs managed to trim what had been a 15-point deficit down to just 7 points during a late surge.

The fourth quarter saw both teams trading baskets, with Beloit's Kaitlin Davis (Platte City, Mo.) and Angela Donath (Wausau, Wis.) providing crucial minutes off the bench. Davis, despite shooting struggles, contributed 5 points and showed defensive tenacity with 4 steals, while Donath added 7 points and some key rebounds.

Despite the loss, Beloit showed marked improvement in several areas, particularly on defense where they forced 14 turnovers and held North Park to just 11% from three-point range. The Bucs also showed depth, with their bench contributing 20 points to North Park's 14.

The Buccaneers return to action once more before Thanksgiving break, hosting Marian University on Tuesday, November 26th at 7:30 pm.