Ariyanah Custard

COLUMBUS, Neb. — The Marshalltown women’s basketball team couldn’t rally up another comeback against Central (Neb.) CC and fell 59-51 to the host Raiders on Saturday afternoon.

Central (9-20, 5-16) held a slim three-point lead at halftime, 29-26, before pulling ahead to a 13-point advantage going into the fourth.

MCC (8-21, 5-15), which outscored the Raiders 25-16 in the fourth quarter of their first meeting to force overtime, couldn’t cover the distance in Saturday’s rematch.

Lexi Fiscus had 24 points and eight rebounds to lead Central, which snapped a four-game losing streak. Jayla Merrill added 10 points and six steals off the bench.

MCC freshman guard Ariyanah Custard scored a career-high 25 points to lead the Tigers, also contributing seven rebounds and five steals in defeat. Jazmine Williams had 10 points and six boards, and Kenijae Cherry added eight points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots. Shenell Stewart chipped in with six points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

MCC shot a frigid 23.9 percent (17-for-71) from the field and 16.7 percent (3-for-18) from 3-point range in the league loss.

The Tigers close out their season with Wednesday’s 5:30 p.m. home game against seventh-ranked Kirkwood (25-3, 19-2).