Coach Zareth Gray's Clarke College women's basketball team battled Mount Mercy College for 39 minutes Wednesday before dropping a 79-66 Midwest Collegiate Conference matchup at the Robert and Ruth Kehl Center. The Crusaders, who fell 104-58 to Mount Mercy last month in Cedar Rapids, trailed by just six with 1:34 to play.

Mount Mercy built a 34-27 lead at halftime and extended the lead to 14 before a Michelle Jamison three-point field goal cut the gap to three at 53-50 with 8:08 to play. The visitors built the lead back to 13 with 3:41 left, but the Crusaders got within six at 72-66 with 1:34 left on a Tara Ahlf jumper. Mount Mercy scored the final seven points of the game at the charity stripe.

Shatisha Lewis led Clarke (3-23, 2-11 MCC) with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and four blocked shots. Tara Ahlf hit five of six shots from the field and finished with 12 points, while Joquetta Rolle, the nation's third-leading rebounder, added 10 points and claimed game rebounding honors with 11 boards.

Shanda Novak and Jessie Dirks each scored 18 points for Mount Mercy (20-7, 11-2 MCC). The Mustangs also had double-figure scoring performances from Kelli Dabroski (14), Catalina Quintana (11), and Heather Bachman (10).

Mount Mercy shot 41.8 percent from the field, while Clarke shot 39.7 percent from the field.

Clarke won the rebounding battle, 41-33, but the Crusaders were guilty of 25 turnovers.

Clarke will host Grand View University at 1 p.m. Saturday in an MCC rematch.

-CRUSADERS-