No. 12 Trinity Edges 'Roo Women Late

SHERMAN, Texas – The Austin College women's basketball team found themselves knotted up with No. 12-ranked Trinity University 54-54 with two minutes left, but the Tigers would close the game on a 9-2 run to hand the 'Roos a 63-56 loss on Friday night. The 'Roos fall to 16-7 overall and 8-4 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play with the defeat.

The 'Roos came out hot early, with Trinity scoring the first bucket but Austin College scoring 10 unanswered to take a 10-2 lead with 3:29 left in the opening quarter. Trinity battled back with seven in a row, but a basket by Kendra Rainey made it 12-9 and the 'Roos would take a 13-11 lead into the second quarter.

The Tigers would open the second with a 9-2 run to grab a 20-15 edge, and after Austin College battled back to pull within two on a layup by Meghan Lewis, Trinity's Allison Staley answered with a basket to put the Tigers on top 24-20 at halftime. Austin College shot just 16.7% from the field in the second quarter as Trinity pulled into the lead.

In the third quarter, Trinity pushed the margin to 35-26 before a pair of three-point-plays from Bryce Frank cut it to a 35-32 game, and another free throw from Frank made it a two-point margin. However, Trinity's Monica Holguin buried a triple at the buzzer to push the Tiger lead to 38-33 heading into the fourth. 

Ann Savage and Kendall Heitmeier each knocked down threes early in the fourth to keep things close, and a basket by Kendra Rainey pulled Austin College to within one at 46-45 with 5:43 left to play. Savage drilled back-to-back three pointers to give Austin College the lead at 51-49, and after a three-point-play by Holguin put Trinity back on top, Lewis scored to make it 53-52 with the 'Roos on top.

Trinity's Rachel Chavez pulled the Tigers even at 54-54 with a baseline jumper with 2:10 left in the game, and Micah Weaver put the Tigers ahead for good with a three pointer to make it 57-54 with 1:34 left to play. Frank would get a basket for Austin College but Holguin knocked down four free throws in the game's closing minute to ice the game for Trinity.

Frank finished the game with 14 points and 16 rebounds, and Savage hit 5-of-10 from beyond the arc on her way to 15 points and four assists. Lewis chipped in nine points and six boards, and Heitmeier finished with seven points and five rebounds.

Holguin led all scorers with 20 points and added 10 boards and four assists, and Weaver hit 4-of-7 from deep on her way to 18 points for the Tigers. Trinity shot just 31.9% from the field in the game, but Austin College was just 11-of-23 from the free throw line and turned it over 18 times, compared to just 10 giveaways for the Tigers.

Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.