KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Hesston College women's basketball team fell to Kansas Christian College, 85-66, on Saturday, Oct. 31, despite a team-high 15 points from Keira Pineda and 11 points from Gresa Arapi.

The Larks faced an early deficit after Kansas Christian outscored Hesston 22-11 in the opening quarter. Hesston responded with a stronger second quarter, using timely three-point shooting to outscore the Falcons 21-18 and cut the deficit to 40-32 at halftime.

After trailing by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, Hesston began closing the gap with back-to-back three-pointers from Krysten Carter and Pineda. Carter followed with a fast-break layup, and two free throws from Pineda brought the Larks within six points, 36-30, with 2:27 remaining before halftime.

Kansas Christian regained control in the third quarter, outscoring Hesston 29-18 to extend its lead to 69-50 entering the final period. The teams each scored 16 points in the fourth quarter.

Pineda led the Larks with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting, including two three-pointers. She also recorded four steals and two assists.

Arapi provided an offensive boost off the bench, scoring 11 points in just 11 minutes. She shot 3-of-4 from the field, connected on both of her three-point attempts and made all three free throws.

Destiny Jackson and Sharmonique Williams each contributed nine points, while Carter finished with seven points and five rebounds. Mariah Hall added five points, five rebounds and three steals.

Hesston finished with 13 steals and scored 27 points off Kansas Christian turnovers. The Larks also received 26 points from their bench.

Kansas Christian was led by Kailey Gonzalez, who recorded a double-double with 26 points and 17 rebounds. Aleigha Jackson added 18 points, while Brittany Cato scored 16. The Falcons shot 54% from the field and held a 46-33 rebounding advantage.

The Larks will look to bounce back Wednesday, Nov. 4, when they travel to Winfield, Kan., to face Southwestern College at 5 p.m.