The Beta Epsilon Chi Cardinals fell to the Pi Delta Chi Classics 30–26 on Saturday after a fast-paced game.

The Classics trailed behind the Cardinals for most of the game and struggled to make shots. But the Cardinals had little depth. By the second half, they were exhausted, allowing the Classics to step up and claim the victory.

The Classics won the tipoff, but the Cardinals’ Bekah Misiura scored the first points one minute into the game. The Cardinals went on a 7–0 run until the Classics’ Tori Conover converted a layup.

The Classics struggled to make shots, and the Cardinals dominated the paint and continued to score, ending the first half up 15–10.

During halftime, the Classics reassessed their game plan. Conover said her team knew it was going to be hard because the Cardinals had the height advantage.

“Our team is small and quick,” Conover said. “We just made them play our game, a fast game, and ran them out of the gym.”

The battle continued during the second half. The Classics slowly closed in on the Cardinals. Conover, Dani Payne and Leanna Cleveland made several layups and foul shots to tie the game 25–25 with six minutes left on the clock.

After a steal, Conover made a layup putting the Classics ahead for the first time in the game. Jessica Baun made a three-point shot with just over two minutes minutes left to extend the Classics’ lead to 30–26.

This put the Cardinals into a fouling frenzy. Each player on the court fouled at least once in the last minute of the game in a desperate attempt to come back.

But the desperate effort to stop the ball and score was not enough to overtake the Classics. The Classics won 30–26 and improved their perfect record to 9–0.

“We stayed mentally strong; that’s what won the game,” Conover said.

The Classics will be the favorites to win the championship later this month, as they head into the playoffs outscoring their opponents by 142 points throughout the season.