CONWAY, Ark. - The Hendrix College women's basketball team played evenly with the Texas Luthern University Bulldogs for the first half, but were outrun in the second frame, falling 83-71 to TLU in their final game before the holiday break.

Caitlin Kriesel-Bigler led the Warriors in scoring with a game-high 17 points on 7-for-11 shooting while Sara Dyslin and Anna King each chipped in with 13 points and nine rebounds. Breann Forbes scored six points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out two assists in an all-around effort off the bench.

Karisa Cantu was the Bulldogs best player on both ends of the floor. The guard finished with 12 points, converting 7-of-8 free throws, passed off a team-high four assists, and came away with seven steals. Taylor Dydalewicz led four Bulldogs in double-digits with 14 points on the day.

Hendrix played well in the early going, relying on Dyslin in the first few minutes. In her first career start, the freshman rattled off the Warriors' first six points, giving them a 6-4 lead in the first five minutes. TLU came storming back to take the lead with a 17-8 run. Savannah Hight capped the run with back-to-back three pointers, putting the visitors ahead 21-14.

The Bulldogs led by as much as eight during the first half, but Hendrix fought hard to cut into the lead before the break. The Warriors relied on their bench to cut into the lead before the half, with Estrella Flores drilling a pair of long-distance buckets and Madison Martin grabbing an offensive rebound and finishing the putback on the team's final possession before the half. The basket cut the Bulldogs' lead to just one and the two teams entered the locker room with a 38-37 score. 

Kriesel-Bigler led the Hendrix charge out of the locker room in the second half, scoring six straight points for the Warriors, helping them to tie the game at 43-43 with 16:33 remaining in the game. The Orange and Black were never able to take a second half lead though, as the Bulldogs pulled away from that point forward. Texas Luthern shot 58.6% in the second half, hitting 17-of-29 shots from the floor to bury the Warriors with a 40-28 run to end the game.

Texas Lutheran improves to 4-4 on the season and will take part in the UT Tyler Tournament on December 30 and 31, facing host UT Tyler in the first round.  

Hendrix falls to 2-7 on the year and will take on Centenary College (La.) after the holiday on December 30 in Shreveport, La. at 4:00 p.m.