PHOENIX, Ariz. – The St. Francis basketball team overcame a first-half deficit to take a fourth-quarter lead before falling to the 22nd-ranked St. Paul (Calif.) 45-44 in the semifinals of the Wiley bracket at the 2019 Nike Tournament of Champions.

"We got to where we needed to be to have an opportunity to win with the lead with 14 seconds left," said Head Coach Heather Volek Brownholtz. "The girls learned a lot today from a situational loss. It stings because we were right there. It is why we came here - to play these tough teams like St. Paul (No. 122 in the nation). We are one decision away from being a good team to a great team. We are right there. I am proud of the girls."

The Troubadours (6-5) fought back after trailing by as many as 15 in the first half. The Swordsmen made five three-pointers in the first quarter to take command early but St. Francis fought back after the early deficit.

Senior Jasmine Lee hit four three-pointers over the second and third quarters and senior Mia Fleming-Mullins scored 10 of her game-high 20 in the third as the Troubies took a 37-34 lead into the fourth.

"Mia has the potential to be an extremely explosive player and tough to stop," said Brownholtz. "She has attracted a lot of attention and teams are coming out with a plan to stop her. To counter that takes a lot of mental toughness and focus. Today was turning point in her career to where she can be elite."

The game was tied twice with five lead changes over the final eight minutes. St. Paul, ranked No. 22 in California by MaxPreps, took their final lead on a driving layup with six seconds left. SF had the final possession but the shot was missed as time expired.

Junior Mackenzie Le added eight points in the loss and junior Sarah Cloninger contributed four.

St. Francis will play for third place Saturday in the Wiley bracket at 11:30 a.m. (10:30 a.m. Pacific) at Marcos de Niza High School against Oregon City.