Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch didn't want to use the absence of one of his key players as an excuse during last week's Colonial League West Division tilt against Palmerton.

And despite missing Sarah Segan due to injury, the Tigers held their own for much of the game. They just weren't able to come up with that all-important basket when they needed it most.

While the Blue Bombers took an eight-point lead midway through the fourth quarter, Northwestern fought all the way back to trail by one, 40-39, with 1:19 to play. Northwestern had two chances in the final minute trailing by three, but a missed three-pointer in the final seconds sent the Lady Tigers to a 42-39 defeat.

"I told our girls lets not use that as an excuse," Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch said of Segan's injury. "Give Palmerton credit, they were the better team tonight. I thought we played them tough. It was our third game in three days. I thought our effort was really good.

"I told the girls afterwards that we didn't lose this game because Sarah Segan didn't play. We lost because Palmerton was better."

It was the second time that the Blue Bombers (14-2 overall; 9-2 in Colonial League) defeated the Tigers (9-6 overall; 5-5 in Colonial League) this season.

"We did everything we could," Deutsch said. "We just didn't make enough shots. That's the bottom line. But I'm very encouraged with what I saw tonight. From where we were at the beginning of the year, to where we are now, I think we've gotten a lot better in my opinion.

Segan also missed the Tigers' next game, a 43-33 loss to Notre Dame (Green Pond). That dropped Northwestern to .500 in league play and on the outskirts of the upcoming six-team postseason tournament.

The Tigers remained within striking distance all game in large part to their three-point shooting. Erika Thomas hit three three-pointers and Sabrina Mertz scored 11 points in the first half to tally all of the Tigers' points in the first 16 minutes. The Tigers, however, still trailed 23-20.

"She [Segan] does drive and attack the basket very well," Deutsch said. "It gave other girls an opportunity that maybe don't get those chances, and I thought they did a nice job."

The Blue Bombers grew their lead to double digits in the third period after Madison Mummey sank two free throws. Jade Farquhar, who finished with a game-high 18 points, scored eight in the third, including back-to-back threes in the opening minute.

But the Tigers never lost focus. Northwestern scored six of the next seven points to trail by four early in the fourth quarter. They went on another 7-0 spurt to bring Palmerton's lead down to 40-39.

The Tigers did make six three-pointers, but their shooting percentage from beyond the arc wasn't as impressive. Despite shooting 6-for-32 from long range, Deutsch was happy with his team's shot selection.

"They were sagging so much in the paint where they weren't allowing us to drive to the basket," Deutsch said. "They had a lot of help in the paint area, so they were giving us those shots. When you have a Mertz, a Thomas and a [Megan] Landrigan who are good shooters, you take your chances."

Mertz led the Tigers with 17 points, while Thomas added 15.

Mummey finished with 17 for the Blue Bombers to go with Farquhar's 18.

Results from Tuesday's game against Palisades were not available at time of press. The Tigers travel to Southern Lehigh on Thursday for a 7 p.m. start.