OMAHA, Neb. – The No. 1-ranked team in the country came to town Saturday and the College of Saint Mary basketball team was playing with a limited bench.

The result was a lopsided score in favor of the Dordt Defenders. Dordt beat CSM 85-43 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference contest.

"We knew we would need to play an almost perfect game today to be able to compete with Dordt," CSM Coach Kirk Walker said. "Dordt is a great team and has a lot of depth on their roster which was a big factor today."

The Defenders took an early 23-18 lead in the first quarter and then bested the Flames 23-8 in the second quarter to lead 46-21 at the intermission. The Defenders outscored CSM 24-7 in the third quarter before the Flames matched Dordt with 15 points in the fourth frame. Dordt played 16 athletes in the contest while CSM played just seven.

Dordt shot 51 percent from the floor, 32 percent from long distance and 33 percent from the free-throw line. CSM shot 29 percent, 22 percent and 45 percent, respectively.

The Flames had 18 turnovers compared to Dordt's seven and the Defenders outrebounded CSM 42-40.

"I felt like we really competed on the boards the whole game and did a really good job of taking care of the ball in the second half," Walker said. "Ultimately the difference was the efficiency in scoring. Dordt scored too many easy baskets in the paint around the rim. We got to the free-throw line like we wanted but, for the second game in a row, didn't shoot it well from the line. We need to be better on the things we can control and move with more purpose on offense."

Sidney Anderson led the Flames was her second straight double-double. She scored 11 points and pulled down 13 rebounds. Teammate Madison Camden also poured in 11 points. Madelyn Gaughen chipped in with seven points.

"I liked Madelyn Gaughen's aggressiveness offensively today," Walker said. "I felt like she had a different mentality on that end of the floor today."

Dordt remains perfect in the GPAC with an 8-0 record and a 13-1 overall record. The Flames drop to 0-8, 1-12.

College of Saint Mary is on the road Wednesday with a 6 p.m. contest in Fremont, Neb. against Midland University.

"Hopefully we can get healthier in the next 3-4 days and be ready to go at Midland on Wednesday," Walker said.