ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University women's basketball lost a heartbreaker in the final seconds to Saint Mary's College 71-70 at R.A. Faganel Hall.

The Bluejays (0-4) were down by 10 with six minutes left to play in the second quarter, however, the squad chipped away at the lead to tie the score at 33 apiece with 1:30 to go before the break. 

Bella Dugas of Saint Mary's (1-3) scored three of her 13 points in the final minute of the second quarter to give her team a 36-33 lead heading into the locker room.

Elmhurst took control offensively in the third quarter scoring 23 points to Saint Mary's 13.  The Bluejays led by seven heading into the final 10 minutes of the contest.

The Bluejays led by 12 with 4:20 to play, but Saint Mary's Claire Bartz led her team back, scoring eight of her 11 points in three minutes. Dugas got her team to within one point with 36 seconds left in the game.

After a pair of missed free throws by the Bluejays, the Belles secured the rebound and called a timeout. With just nine seconds left, Saint Mary's Maddie Rzepka scored a game-winning layup to give her team the 71-70 lead.

After a quick substitution and timeout for the Bluejays, the home team inbounded the ball and gave Taylor Harazin a chance to give the Bluejays their first win of the season with a contested layup. The Belles' Anne Goralczyk blocked Harazin's shot attempt and recovered the ball.  Goralczyk was then fouled but even with the two missed shots by Saint Mary's, Elmhurst did not have enough time to get off a shot before the horn. 

The Bluejays shot 49.2 percent (29-of-59) from the field compared to the Belles 43.3 percent (29-67). 

Elmhurst finished with four Bluejays in double-figures. Harazin led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds. Kate Matthews contributed 14 points and seven rebounds.  Both Marissa Urso and Morgan Collar chipped in 10 points each. 

Saint Mary's also had four players in double-figures. Goralczyk led the Belles with 15 points and five rebounds. Dugas added 13 points and six rebounds while Rzepka finished with 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Bartz rounded out the double-digit scorers for the Belles with 11 points. 

Elmhurst heads to the North Park University tournament this weekend to take on Bethany Lutheran College and Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology in Friday and Saturday matchups.