KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The York University women's basketball team lost a hard fought 75-70 contest at Avila Wednesday evening.

The Panthers are now 9-15 on the season, including 7-14 in KCAC action.

Head coach Corinna Minjarez's team was led by Destiny Shepherd's game-high 21 points. Ashley Rubio had a monster game with 18 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks. Britney Schroer added 14 points and five rebounds while Monique Contreras chipped in 11 points. Pasiko Hvichiani tallied four points and six assists while Olivia Adams had two points.

Trailing 9-5, Contreras buried a jumper. Three straight points by Rubio gave the Panthers a 10-9 advantage. Down 11-10, Contreras hit a jumper with 2:11 to play. Baskets from Adams and Schroer extended the advantage to 16-11 before York held a 16-13 edge going into the second quarter.

The back-and-forth affair was tied at 20-20 before Contreras made a lay-up at the 4:03 mark. When Adams hit Shepherd for a three-point basket, the Panthers took a 25-20 lead. Shepherd canned two late free throws and York maintained a 27-26 edge at halftime.

Down 31-29, Hvichiani dished out back-to-back assists to Schroer, giving the Panthers a 33-31 advantage. With the score at 34-33, Rubio made a lay-up. Shepherd hit an inside shot and Schroer made a lay-up, giving the visitors a 39-34 margin. Holding a 45-43 lead, Rubio converted a lay-up. A late basket by Shepherd propelled York to a 49-45 lead entering the fourth quarter.

Up 50-49, Hvichiani and Shepherd hit shots. Rubio hit a lay-up, giving the Panthers a 60-55 working margin with 4:50 to play. Tied at 60-60, Shepherd dished out an assist before burying a three-ball for a five-point cushion.

Schroer made a pair of free throws with 50 ticks on the clock for a 67-62 lead. Avila went on an 11-0 run before Shepherd hit a three-point basket with two seconds to play.

For the game, York hit 30-of-63 from the floor, including four-of-14 from the three-point stripe. The squad canned six-of-12 from the charity stripe. The Panthers outrebounded the home team 41-35. York dished out 11 assists and scored 46 points in the paint.

The Panthers return to action Saturday when they host Bethel College at 1 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at Yorkpanthers.com.