Riverland Community College battled through a challenging afternoon but fell to St. Cloud Technical & Community College, 72-33, in a Saturday afternoon matchup at home.

St. Cloud controlled the game from the opening tip, jumping out to a 17-3 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 35-11 at halftime. Riverland showed fight in the third quarter, matching the Cyclones with 12 points in the frame, but St. Cloud pulled away again in the fourth to secure the 72-33 victory.

Riverland finished 12-of-39 (30.8%) from the field and 5-of-18 (27.8%) from beyond the arc. Freshman guard Lexi Lewis (Austin, MN) paced the Blue Devils with 10 points off the bench, adding three assists and two steals. Freshman forward Keeli Johnson (Houston, AK) chipped in eight points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting performance. Freshman guard Najima Hassan (Mankato, MN) added seven points, including two three-pointers.

Riverland will look to regroup as Monday as they take on Minnesota State Fergus Falls at home.