LEWISTON, Idaho – It was a battle until the buzzer on Thursday night when the No. 25 Lewis-Clark State Women's Basketball team upset the No. 18 Montana State-Northern Skylights 57-54. A 3-pointer by Peyton Souvenir and two rim-circling foul shots by Hannah Burland were the difference maker in the competitive Frontier Conference matchup.
 
It all came down to the final three minutes with the Warriors trailing 54-52. Souvenir used an assist from Abbie Johnson to hit the go-ahead 3.
 
"Honestly, as the play broke down that's just what came open," Souvenir said. "I had more of an aggressive mindset because I'd just given up a shot on the other end, so it felt like I had to get it back."
 
Then a pair of free throws by Burland, one of which circled all the way around the rim dramatically, fell in to keep LC State in front.
 
"I told myself, 'We do this all the time in practice. We always work on pressure free throws," Burland explained, "It definitely came into play right there."
 
The Warriors held MSUN off the board through the first five minutes of the contest, jumping out in front 9-0 with the help of seven points from Souvenir. Free throws from Kiara Burlage kept LC State in front 14-10 at the end of the first 10 minutes.
 
Burland sparked a run of 10 to open the second quarter. Johnson and Sara Muhelhausen each added two points in the run and Rachel Schroeder drained a 3 to put the Warriors up 25-10 at 6:22. The lead stood at eight points, 33-25, at halftime.
 
The Skylights battled back in the second half and took a 50-49 lead with 4:23 left in the contest. Jansen Edmiston tied things up 52-52 with a big 3 at 2:45, before Souvenir and Burland brought the game home for the Warrior women.
 
Burlage notched a double-double with a team-leading 12 points and 11 rebounds. Souvenir added 10 points and three steals, while Nielson and Burland each tallied nine points.
 
The Warriors totaled 14 steals as a team and forced 23 turnovers. They converted those turnovers into 13 points. The LC State bench outscored MSUN's bench 19-6.
 
"It was a game of runs," Souvenir said. "It's like that sometimes. We had our runs and they had theirs. We just have to have that kill instinct. There is never a point where we can let up or get comfortable."
 
"We know every game is going to be a battle in this conference," Burland added. "We just have to keep fighting all 40 minutes as a team. We work together as a team and outcomes like that will happen."
 
The Warriors host Providence on Saturday at 2 p.m. in the Activity Center.