SEDALIA — The Three Rivers College women's basketball team's 21-game regular-season Region XVI winning streak is over.
The Lady Raiders led by eight points with 6 1/2 minutes left in the third period of Saturday's Region XVI contest at State Fair, but the host Lady Roadrunners scored the next 14 points and never trailed again to take a 68-58 win at the Davis Multipurpose Center.
Saturday's contest not only was a matchup of teams ranked in the top 15 of the National Junior College Athletic Association poll (Three Rivers was eighth and the Lady Roadrunners were No. 15), but it also was a rematch of last season's region championship game. State Fair won that one too.
Back-to-back baskets by Samyah Jordan gave Three Rivers (16-3, 1-1 XVI) a 43-35 lead with seven minutes left in the third period, but TRC did not score again for more than six minutes as the Lady Roadrunners took control of the game.
State Fair (17-0, 2-0) hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the score at 43 with 4:11 left in the period, then Maliyah White drained a triple from the corner with 1:44 left in the period to give her team a 46-43 lead. White hit another trey 38 seconds later to cap the run and put the Lady Roadrunners ahead 49-43.
The Lady Raiders did not give up, cutting the lead to 52-50 on a Da'Naya Ross trey with 5:20 left in the game, but State Fair scored the next six points to end the run and halt the comeback.
Three Rivers started fast, sprinting out to a 6-0 lead on a basket by Kimora Wooden and two more by Samyah Jordan, but the Lady Roadrunners answered back with a 14-4 run to go ahead 14-10 on Carolyn Foster's trey with 3:52 left in the first quarter.
From there, it was back and forth until halftime.
State Fair led 23-22 after a Zoe Newland 3-pointer with 7:13 remaining in the first half, but back-to-back 3s from Ytaly Lewis and Jordan put the Lady Raiders ahead 28-23 with 5:28 left in the first half — then the hosts answered with an 11-4 run of their own, taking a 34-32 lead on Chloe Reed's basket with 55 seconds left in the first half.
However, Three Rivers took a 35-34 lead to the locker room when Lynn Rieth drained a triple from just beyond the top of the key with three seconds left before the intermission.
Jordan paced the Lady Raiders with 21 points, while Amelia Corasaniti added 13 and Ross finished with seven. Kiera Neal added eight rebounds, while Corasaniti had six rebounds and five steals, Jordan had four steals and Wooden had a pair.
As a team, Three Rivers shot just 32% (21-for-65) from the field and committed 17 turnovers in the loss.
The Lady Raiders are off until next Saturday, when they host Mineral Area in another Region XVI contest. Tipoff time at the Libla Family Sports Complex is slated for 2 p.m.
Notes: Three Rivers' last regular-season loss in Region XVI play came on Jan. 27, 2024, when the Lady Raiders lost at Mineral Area 74-68. … In other Region XVI action on Saturday, Crowder won 75-56 at Moberly.
Mike Buhler - Daily American Republic