The Misericordia University women's basketball team dropped a tough 57-54 decision at DeSales in the MAC Freedom semifinals, Friday.

The Cougars led the top-seeded Bulldogs, 52-51, with 3:17 to play, but DeSales closed the game on a 6-2 run to escape with the win.

Melina Santacroce led the Cougars with 11 points and 13 rebounds and Alyssa Bondi and Elizabeth Fasti added nine points each.

Gianna Delfino added eight points and seven rebounds.

Down 34-29 midway through the third quarter, the Cougars closed the period on a 14-3 run.

Fasti nailed a three-pointer and Santacroce converted a fastbreak layup off a Delfino steal to tie the score 34-34.

Morgan Haefele's three-pointer gave the Cougars a 39-36 lead and Skylar Dowling hit back-to-back jumpers for a 43-36 advantage with less than a minute remaining.

Santacroce made two free throws and a layup early in the fourth quarter to give MU a 47-42 lead with 8:14 remaining.

DeSales ran off seven straight points to take a 49-47 lead, but Santacroce answered with a three-pointer to put the Cougars back in front, 50-49, with 3:49 to play.

Bondi answered a DeSales bucket with a jumper to give MU its last lead, 52-51, with 3:17 remaining.

Trailing 54-52, Delfino made a pair of free throws to pull MU even with 1:18 to go, but the Cougars didn't score again.

The Cougars the first five points of the game and led 7-2 just over three minutes into the game thanks to a pair of buckets from Bondi.

DeSales scored 11 straight points to go up, 13-7.

Samantha Hardy scored twice down the stretch and the Cougars trailed 17-13 at the end of the first period.

MU trailed by as many as nine points midway through the second quarter, but charged back to take the lead in the third quarter.