SHREVEPORT, La. -- Jamie Ruede led top-seeded Trinity University with a team-high 18 points as she helped guide the Tigers to their fourth-straight SCAC Women's Basketball tournament championship with a 63-57 victory over third-seeded Colorado College on Sunday afternoon in the 2024 title game at Centenary College. Official Tournament Website | Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview | Women's Tournament Stats
Playing in their 12th-consecutive SCAC women’s tournament final, the TU Tigers (22-5) earned the program's 10th conference tournament title and 10th overall championship in the sport - the most in league history. With the team's 12-straight win, Trinity receives the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship and will await word of its first-round opponent when brackets are announced on Monday.
- Trinity opened the game on an 18-8 run as the TU Tigers ended the first quarter in control.
- Colorado College responded and cut the Trinity lead to just four at 27-23 after an Isa Nelson 3-pointer with just over a minute left before halftime.
- A Zoe Tomlinson layup pulled the CC Tigers to withing two at 36-34 with a little more than four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
- Trinity pushed the lead to seven early in the fourth quarter after a Jamie Ruede 3-pointer made it 45-38.
- From there, Tomlinson tied the game at 47-47 of the 5:51-mark of the fourth with a layup.
- The TU Tigers then closed out the game and earned the championship with a 16-10 run to secure the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.
- Colorado College won the rebounding battle by a 42-31 margin.
- Both teams shot under 40.0 percent from the floor for the game.
- Trinity shot 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from 3-point range while Colorado College was limited to just 27.3 percent (6-of-22) from beyond the arc.
- Trinity held a commanding 21-5 edge in bench points.
- Jamie Ruede: 18 points, 7-of-15 FG, two rebounds, one steal
- Josie Napoli: 11 points, four rebounds, two assists
- Maggie Robbins: 9 points, five rebounds
- Elaine King: 8 points, five rebounds, one assist
- Zoe Tomlinson: 21 points, 22 rebounds, 6-of-14 FG, 8-of-10 FT
- Rose Koehler: 13 points, six rebounds, two assists
- Audrey Bayston: 12 points, four rebounds, four assists
NOTABLES
- Colorado College’s Zoe Tomlinson set the SCAC single season record for total rebounds in a season as she totaled 378, eclipsing the previous mark of 356 by Southwestern’s Annie Bourne in 2014-15.
- Trinity's Jamie Ruede was named the Tournament's Most Valuable Player. Joining Ruede on the All-Tournament Team was Trinity's Maggie Robbins and Josie Napoli, Colorado College's Zoe Tomlinson and Audrey Bayston, and Schreiner’s Brie Sosa.
- Trinity now has 10 SCAC women's basketball titles; the most of any program in league history.
- The championship is the seventh in the last nine years for Trinity, who made its 12th straight appearance in the tournament final. The TU Tigers are now 8-4 over that stretch of title game appearances.
- Trinity became the frist team to win four consecutive SCAC tournament championships. DePauw won three straight from 2006-2008 and Trinity also won three in a row from 2016-2018.
- This was the fourth consecutive year the Trinity and Colorado College women have met for the conference tournament title. Last year, Trinity recorded a 64-54 victory in the championship game. The last time the same two teams have played for the SCAC tournament title four straight years was from 2003 to 2006 when Trinity and DePauw met for conference supremacy for four consecutive years.
- Trinity improved to 37-12 all-time in the SCAC tournament, including a perfect 7-0 mark against Colorado College
- Colorado College falls to 20-8 with the loss and will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA tournament when the bracket is announced tomorrow.
