Down to the five players they had on the floor, the St. Aloysius Lady Flashes did what they had to do to survive Friday night.

The air went out of the ball on offense, and they backed off on defense to avoid another foul. All the while, the clock ticked away precious seconds as it counted down to their defeat.

Claudia Brunson had 13 points and three steals, and Jasmine McNair added nine points and eight rebounds as St. Andrew’s held off the feisty but undermanned Lady Flashes 29-25.

Ann Garrison Thomas had 14 points, 11 rebounds and two blocked shots for St. Al (0-2), which dressed only six players for the game. St. Al’s numbers were reduced even further when Klaire Miller fouled out midway through the third quarter.

To avoid finishing the game with four players for the second straight night, the Lady Flashes had to take a patient approach. They waited for a good shot on offense and tried to force turnovers on defense.

It worked, to an extent. St. Andrew’s committed 18 turnovers, eight of them off St. Al steals. The Lady Saints were able to bleed time off the clock, though, hurting St. Al’s comeback chances.

“I thought we did a pretty good job. I thought we played together,” Thomas said. “You just have to play smart and make stupid fouls. Play aggressive, but play smart.”

Despite their handicap — and a dreadful 9-for-48 shooting performance — the Lady Flashes hung tough. They trailed by just three points at halftime, 15-12, then rallied in the fourth quarter after St. Andrew’s (1-2) opened an eight-point lead.

Thomas scored seven straight St. Al points on three inside baskets and a free throw to pull the Lady Flashes within three, at 26-23, with just under three minutes to play.

“I started getting more open and could get the ball better. I knew I could do it, it just takes heart,” Thomas said.

McNair hit a shot in the paint with less than two minutes to play, but Allie Willis answered for St. Al on the other end to make it 28-25.

After that, the offense went cold for the Lady Flashes. They missed three shots in the final minute that would’ve pulled them closer, and Brunson sealed it for St. Andrew’s by splitting a pair of free throws with under 10 seconds to play.

Ashtin Giambrone finished with five points for St. Al, and Ellie Welp had two points and eight rebounds. Miller had four steals.

St. Al will return to action today at 4 p.m. at Greenville-St. Joe.