Kirksville, Mo. — Truman State Women's Basketball opened the 2025–26 season with an impressive home victory over Ursuline before narrowly falling to Cedarville on Saturday at Pershing Arena.
Truman State 86, Ursuline 63
Truman State opened the home portion of its November slate with a convincing 86–63 win over Ursuline, riding a dominant third quarter and a balanced scoring attack. Ursuline kept the game close early, but Truman gradually seized control by mixing aggressive inside work with timely perimeter shooting. The Bulldogs led 40–32 at the half thanks to efficient paint scoring and steady ball movement. The third quarter was the turning point: Truman outscored Ursuline 25–9, closing the quarter on an extended run that drained the visitors' energy and blew the game open.
Inside presence keyed the surge. Mallory Ott set the tone on the glass, tipping in putbacks, cleaning misses and converting opportunities around the rim, while Mariann Blass spaced the floor and hit several shots that kept the Ursuline defense honest. Morgan Miller provided timely perimeter scoring, knocking down a couple of threes that helped swing momentum in the second and third quarters.
Defensively Truman forced turnovers and converted on the other end; the Bulldogs finished with 41 rebounds and outscored Ursuline in the paint 40–14. Bench depth made a difference late as reserves maintained pressure and helped seal the 23-point victory.
Team stats (Truman)
Game leaders (Truman)
Cedarville 62, Truman State 60
Truman State battled wire-to-wire in a physical, defensive matchup on Saturday, but a final-minute jump shot lifted Cedarville past the Bulldogs, 62–60, in a game that featured 10 ties and 12 lead changes.
Cedarville opened with early energy, but the Bulldogs steadily settled in. Truman used a strong second quarter, highlighted by disciplined half-court execution and key perimeter shooting, to erase the deficit and go into halftime tied at 32. The Yellow Jackets reclaimed a narrow lead in the third, but Truman's response was immediate. The Bulldogs chipped away possession by possession, tightening up defensively and attacking the paint to stay well within striking distance entering the final minutes.
Truman surged again in the fourth, getting big baskets from its core rotation to trim the Cedarville lead to one. A key three from the wing brought the crowd to life, and multiple strong drives to the rim helped the Bulldogs keep pressure on the Yellow Jackets down the stretch. Truman forced Cedarville into late free throws to maintain the lead, and with under 10 seconds remaining, the Bulldogs earned a final chance to tie or win.
In the closing seconds, Truman executed its sideline set and drew a foul to reach the line with an opportunity to extend the game. However, the first free throw was off target, and Cedarville secured the rebound on a desperation shot as time expired, but the comeback effort and resilience showed across all four quarters remained a major bright spot.
Team stats (Truman)
Game leaders (Truman)
Up Next:
The Bulldogs will stay home for the GLVC/NSIC Tournament this weekend with games against Concordia St. Paul on Thursday and Friday against Winona State, both with a 3:00 PM tip-off.
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