BILLINGS, Mont. – A 24-7 third quarter by Rocky Mountain was Northwest's undoing in a 61-54 loss Thursday.

The quarter saw Sam Van Loo pick up her third and fourth fouls after she had dominated the first half with eight points and nine rebounds.

"It was a tough game for us tonight," said NU Head Coach Ken Crawford. "We arrived about 15 minutes before game time, so our warm-up and pregame preparation time was cut very short. Even with that, I couldn't be more proud of the way that our players responded with their effort and their focus."

Shelaine Lorenz went on a personal 6-0 run to give the Eagles a 17-8 lead in the first quarter, and Kim Weden scored her first points of the season for a 19-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.

The Eagles led by as many as 13 points in the second quarter when Maya DuChesne knocked down a three-pointer for a 28-15 lead.

NU led 29-20 at the half.

A four-minute Eagles' scoring drought to start the second half allowed the Bears to close to within a point. Rocky took its first lead with 3:33 left in the third period on a Markaela Francis drive and layup.

The Eagles trailed by as many as 12 in the third quarter. NU outscored RMC in the fourth quarter but could not make up the difference.

Alyx Fast led the Eagles with 14 points, with Van Loo getting the double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds.

Northwest left 13 points at the free-throw line, hitting 10 of 23 for 44 percent.

The Eagles' bench outscored Rocky 15-0.

"We have less than a 24-hour turnaround before we play tomorrow afternoon, but I can tell you," Crawford said, "the team and coaches are looking forward to it!"

The Eagles, now 1-3, return to action at 1 p.m. (Pacific) Friday to take on Montana State-Northern in Great Falls.