Kearney, Neb. – The Nebraska-Kearney women's basketball team finished the game on a 12-3 run to rally past Adams State, 65-59, Sunday afternoon at the Health & Sports Center.

This was the first action for both teams since mid-December. The Lopers (5-6, 4-3 RMAC) improve to 21-0 all-time against the Grizzlies (7-5, 2-4 RMAC) with three of the last four wins in the series coming by seven points or less. Adams also came into the year as RMAC preseason favorites.

After leading most of the way, including by 11 in the first half, UNK was down 56-53 after Crystal Loch hit a jumper with 3:41 to play.

A three from junior guard Debi Johnson (Elsie) tied the game at 59 about a minute later and then neither team scored until junior wing Vanessa Leeper (Colorado Springs, Colo.) made two free throws with 27 seconds left.

Leeper's freebies came after junior guard Kim Rickels (Iowa City, Ia.) stole the ball right out of Loch's hands with 50 seconds left.

Adams still had a chance to tie or move ahead but senior guard Vera Jo Bustos, the Preseason RMAC Player of the Year, was trapped by two Loper defenders and bounced the ball off her foot.  After a Loper timeout, a streaking Johnson took the in-bounds pass and passed the ball to a wide open Megan Becker for an easy layup and a 63-59 lead with just 16 seconds left.

Two free throws by freshman point guard Sarah Hix (Broomfield, Colo.) then ended the scoring.

The game started on an odd note as Adams led 6-0 a minute in before UNK reeled off 19 straight. The Grizzlies climbed back into things thanks to a 19-11 run to be down just five at the break.

Facing an Adams team that came in with a plus 12.8 rebounding margin, UNK held its own in the paint, getting out boarded by just a 35-33 margin. The Lopers actually had two more offensive rebounds, 11-9, than the Grizzlies as well.

UNK also committed just 15 turnovers while scoring 19 points off 19 Adams miscues.

Leeper and Becker (Beaver City) combined to score 24 of the Lopers' 35 second half points. Tallying a team-high 19 points, Leeper went 5 of 10 from the field and 6 of 6 at the line. She also supplied seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Working around some foul trouble, Becker went 7 of 15 from the field and also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. Finally for the Lopers, junior wing Lea Ann Jameson (Minden) had 11 points of 4 of 9 shooting off the bench.

Bustos, who has haunted UNK in the past, scored 12 of her team-best 17 points in the second half with post Kelsie Kruger having 10 rebounds, five points and four assists before fouling out.

UNK hosts 3rd-ranked Fort Lewis tomorrow afternoon.