FREDERICKSBURG, Va.— The Marymount (Va.) University women's basketball squad dropped its first Capital Athletic Conference matchup to No. 16 University of Mary Washington on Saturday afternoon in a 54-45 decision.

The Saints fell behind early 8-0 in the first quarter before taking a timeout with just over six minutes left. Less than a minute later, freshman Regan Lohr buried a three pointer to get back within five. The Eagles extended their lead to 16-5 by the end of the first quarter.

MU battled its way back into the matchup after outscoring UMW, 16-10. Junior Nicole Viscuso led the way with seven points. Viscuso's last bucket brought the Saints back within five to end the half, 26-21.

The third quarter proved to be a defensive battle between the squads after seeing a scoreless first two minutes to restart the ball game. Junior Leah Hurst got on the board for the Saints after completing a three-point play four minutes into the quarter. With 22 seconds remaining, Hurst knocked down two more free throws to get back within five, 36-31.

Marymount kept close to Mary Washington throughout the final 10 minutes of regulation play. The Eagles pulled ahead before the Saints pieced together a 5-0 run to cut the deficit to six, 48-42. Down the stretch, MU put UMW to the test on the free throw line in a last-ditch effort for the Saints. Unfortunately, the Eagles went 6-for-6 at the charity stripe to overcome the Saints, 54-45. 

Hurst notched 15 points to pace the Saints, and Lohr added 11 points. Viscuso nabbed a team-high seven rebounds and chipped in nine points.

The women remain on the road on Monday, December 19, as they travel to Shenandoah University for a non-conference matchup. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m.