DILLON, Mont. – Despite a 24-point performance from Kloie Thatcher, No. 24 ranked Rocky Mountain College fell 63-56 to the No. 22 ranked Montana Western Bulldogs on Saturday.

The Battlin' Bears outscored the Bulldogs 19-12 in the first period, but a 21-9 run for the Bulldogs in the second period had Montana Western up 33-28 at the half. Rocky never recovered and trailed the Bulldogs the rest of the way.

Hitting 7-of-15 from the field and 5-of-6 at the free-throw line, Thatcher's 24 points marks her second-highest point total this season and the third-highest of her collegiate career. She previously scored a career-high 31 points against Dickinson State in November of 2019.

Markaela Francis nearly posted a double double with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds.

Four Bulldogs scored in the double digits. Shannon Worster had a team-high 17 points while Brynley Fitzgerald scored 14 points with a team-high seven boards. Savanna Bignell scored 12 in addition to 10 points from Gracey Meyer.

The Battlin' Bears shot 40.8 percent from the field and landed 5-of-15 from beyond the arc. In comparison, Montana Western shot 36.4 percent including 23.1 percent from beyond the arc.

Montana Western held a 33-27 advantage in boards and scored 23 points off of 17 turnovers from the Battlin' Bears.

The Battlin' Bears will next return home to play University of Providence on Feb. 6 in the Fortin Education Center.