Santa Cruz, Calif. - A second half comeback ran out of time for the Thunder women's basketball team on Saturday night. Wheaton rallied from a double-digit halftime deficit to set up a back and forth fourth quarter before falling 67-64 against Birmingham-Southern College. The Panthers improved to 6-1 with the victory while dropping Wheaton to 6-2 overall. Wheaton will return home to open CCIW play on Wednesday with a 7 pm tipoff against Augustana at King Arena.

Hampered by a poor second quarter, Wheaton shot 36.4% from the field and 37% from the three-point line. The Panthers shot 41.5% from the field and 25% from beyond the arc. Birmingham-Southern won the rebounding battle 46-34.

An 8-2 first quarter run gave the Panthers the lead as Birmingham-Southern built a 15-8 lead. Wheaton finished the quarter on a six-point run capped by a late lay-up to cut the deficit to 15-14 at the end of the first quarter.

Wheaton was held without a field goal for nearly five minutes at the start of the second quarter as the Panthers went on an 11-1 run to lead 26-15, closing the half with a three-pointer in the final seconds to lead 34-22. The Thunder was held to just 18% shooting in the decisive second quarter.

After the Panthers brought the lead to a game-high 14 points to open the third quarter, Wheaton answered with a 10-0 run to pull within 36-32 on a pair of free throws by Hannah Swider at the midway point of the quarter.  Kristi Demski answered a Panther basket with five unanswered points and Wheaton retook the lead for the first time since the first quarter on Swider's three-pointer with 2:55 to play in the third quarter. Birmingham-Southern closed the half on a 5-0 run to lead 45-42 at the end of the quarter.

The fourth quarter turned into a back and forth affair with the Panthers stretching the lead to seven points on several occasions with Wheaton answering to pull within a score. A pair of free throws by Emilee Olsen with 1:28 to play gave the Panthers a 63-56 lead but Hannah Frazier answered with a three-point play and Hannah Williams followed with a basket off a Jorday Myroth steal to pull Wheaton within 63-61. The Thunder had a chance to pull even but a turnover led to a pair of Panther free throws. Frazier got Wheaton to within a point with a three-pointer, but the Panthers hit both free throws to ice the 67-64 victory.

Hannah Frazier scored a game-high 28 points and was joined in double figures by Kristi Demski with 11 points and Hannah Williams with 10 points.