OMAHA, Neb. – The College of Saint Mary basketball team suffered a slow start Wednesday and couldn't overcome it.

The Flames lost 69-57 to Midland University in the Great Plains Athletic Conference showdown.

"Unfortunately, it's the same thing again," CSM Coach Kirk Walker said. "We dig ourselves a big hole to start and it makes it so difficult to have success. We have to be engaged with the scout and game plan for 40 minutes defensively."

The Warriors built a 16-8 lead after the opening quarter and held a 40-20 advantage at the intermission. CSM closed the gap in the third quarter by outscoring Midland 20-10 in that frame, but the Warriors bested the Flames 19-17 in the fourth quarter to seal the win.

"I'm happy with the way we competed in the second half," Walker said. "We cut their lead in half by the end of the third quarter, but every time we gave ourselves a chance by getting it to single digits in the fourth quarter we had a defensive breakdown or wouldn't take care of the ball."

The Flames shot 37 percent from the floor, 31 percent from 3-point range and 71 percent from the free-throw line. Midland shot 45 percent from the floor, 50 percent from long distance and 71 percent from the charity stripe.

Kenzi Hoit (SR/Omaha, Neb.) led the Flames with a double-double. She had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Teammate Kaylin Garza (FR/Belle Fourche, S.D.) had a team-high 12 points, while Madelyn Turner (SR/Bennington, Neb.) scored 11 points and Clare Lewandowski (SR/Lincoln, Neb.) tossed in eight.

"I thought Kenzi and Kaylin had great games," Walker said. "Kenzie played her tail off and Garza is starting to get more comfortable out there. On offense we are doing enough to get the shots we want, we just need to finish inside. I'm not sure how many lay-ups we missed, but I'm guessing we left 12-16 points on the floor from that."

The Flames are now 1-7 in the GPAC and 3-9 overall. This was Midland's first conference win so the Warriors are now 1-7, 3-9 as well. CSM heads to Florida Thursday to play in the Cruz'n Classic Saturday and Sunday.

"We have a team that can win games – no doubt," Walker said. "It's up to us as coaches to figure out what we can do to help our team execute better and help them get the next win."