The Misericordia University women's basketball team had a strong second half, but came up just short in a 71-66 loss at King's College on Saturday afternoon.
 
Shelby Brochetti led the Cougars with 16 points while Lauren Smicherko added 14 points and Justine Seely rounded out the Cougars in double figures with 11 points.
 
MU trailed by as many as 18 points with five minutes left in the game, but a late offensive push by the Cougars made things interesting.
 
Smicherko started the run, cutting it to 64-55 with a three from the wing. King's added a layup on the other end, but Brochetti answered with another three from the same exact spot to cut the deficit to eight points with 1:56 left.
 
Smicherko added another long-range jumper on the next possession to cut the lead to six and the Monarchs turned it over on their next possession.
 
Jaclyn Hajec then capitalized for the Cougars, connecting from beyond the arc to cut the Monarch's lead to just 64-61 with 1:23 left.
 
King's knocked down one of its two free throws on the next possession to extend its lead to four. Brochetti knocked down two free throws for the Cougars on the other end to make it a two-point game with 1:10 left.
 
Kasey Seitz added another free throw to extend the lead to five with just 30 seconds left.
 
Lena Williams drove the length of the floor, earning a layup and a free throw, making it a two-point game at 68-66 with 23 seconds left.
 
Two points was as close as the Cougars would come as the Monarchs hit their free throws down the stretch to capture the 71-66 victory.
 
The Cougars outscored the Monarchs 45-36 in the final half in the loss.
 
MU returns to action Tuesday night at Eastern at 6:00.