A slow start plagued the Central Christian women's basketball team as they were forced to play catch up all game long in a 58-47 loss to Kansas Christian College on Thursday evening at the Ferneau Center.

Central Christian (3-4) trailed 12-2 just over the halfway point of the first quarter. From there the two teams played fairly even as the Saints got only as close as five and the Falcons' largest lead was just 11.

Alexis Whisenand scored 19 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Atira Davis added 10 points. Raya Brady hauled in a team-high 12 rebounds.

The Saints trailed 18-7 at the end of the first quarter, but made it a five-point game late in the second frame. They went into the locker room trailing, 31-23, then faced a 44-33 deficit heading into the fourth quarter.

The Saints shot just 30 percent from the field and 17 percent from behind the arc. Kansas Christian (3-1) wasn't much better, finishing at 30 percent and 24 percent, respectively.

Keaundra Kelly's 22 points and 14 rebounds led the Falcons, who recorded 20 steals on the night.

The CCCB women will play their final game of the semester at home on Saturday, Dec. 11, in an exhibition against Hannibal-LaGrange at 1 p.m.

The Central Christian women's basketball team recovered from a slow start to earn their second straight win on the young season, a 52-42 victory over Great Lakes Christian College on Monday at the Ferneau Center.

The Saints (3-1) trailed 10-0 before an Alexis Whisenand basket got the hosts on the scoreboard with 5:33 remaining in the first quarter. Central Christian eventually narrowed the gap to 15-10 by the end of the period and had a brief lead in the second quarter before facing a 26-24 halftime deficit.

The two teams played fairly even in the third quarter with the Saints taking a narrow 34-32 advantage heading into the final frame. An early 6-0 run in the fourth quarter and another 8-0 run in the final minute of play sealed the win.

Atira Davis scored 14 points, while Whisenand added 12 points and nine rebounds to lead the Saints. Lauren Lee chipped in another nine points and nine rebounds.

Central Christian shot 41 percent in the second half after a rugged 26 percent before the break. They also finished the night with 13 steals and outrebounded the Crusaders, 39-35.

The Saints entered the night coming off a 51-47 victory over Ecclesia College on Saturday. Central Christian, who got 10 points and 18 rebounds from Raya Brady, led from start to finish. Macaria Hines and Lee also chipped in 10 points each.

The Saints will face North Central University and Minnesota State Community and Technical College this Friday and Saturday in Minneapolis, Minn.

With a lot of new faces, both on the floor and on the sidelines, the Central Christian women's basketball team took care of business in the season opener as they downed Union College (Neb.), 59-46, on Thursday evening in the Ferneau Center.

The Saints (1-0), who nearly led from start to finish, got 15 points each from junior Alexis Whisenand and newcomer Atira Davis to lead the way. They held a 12-8 lead after one quarter and a 32-22 advantage at halftime. Their 15-point lead, 48-33, at the end of the third quarter was the largest of the night.

Freshman Lauren Lee added another 14 points and 10 rebounds for Central Christian, while freshman Julie Estremera came off the bench to score eight with seven rebounds.

It was the first win on the CCCB sideline for head coach Kori Zarzutzki. Her Saints won the rebounding battle, 41-34, recorded 21 assists and 21 steals.

Megan Johnson led Union (0-2) with 16 points.

Central Christian will return to action early next week when they host Lincoln Christian University in another women's/men's doubleheader beginning at 5 p.m. in the Ferneau Center.