HESSTON, Kan. — The Hesston College women's basketball team battled down to the final seconds before falling 68–67 to Cottey College on Thursday night at Yost Gym. After trailing for much of the contest, the Larks mounted a strong fourth-quarter push but came up just short in a tightly contested finish.

Cottey opened the game with early momentum, using perimeter shooting to build a 17–13 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 37–24 at halftime. Hesston struggled to find rhythm offensively in the opening half but stayed within reach through strong rebounding and defensive effort. The Larks began to chip away in the third quarter, outscoring the Comets 15–12 to trim the deficit heading into the final period.

Hesston surged in the fourth quarter with its best offensive stretch of the night, scoring 28 points in the final 10 minutes. Akiva Brown led the charge, finishing with a team-high 19 points and eight rebounds, while Mia Curtis added 16 points and eight boards off the bench. Sarah Beltran contributed 12 points, four assists, and steady perimeter shooting, while Brooke Bettis chipped in 11 points and four assists. The Larks dominated the glass with a 51–39 rebounding advantage and shot 85.7 percent from the free-throw line, keeping pressure on Cottey throughout the closing minutes.

Despite the late rally, Cottey held on behind balanced scoring, led by Andrea Aragon's 17 points and Ellaina LaNear's 15 points and eight rebounds. Hesston's final push brought the score within one possession in the closing seconds, but the Comets were able to secure the narrow victory. The Larks finished the night shooting 36.2 percent from the field and forced 12 turnovers, showing resilience and competitiveness until the final buzzer.