IRVING, Texas -- Texas Lutheran University, the Gold Division's second-seed, earned the program's fourth SCAC championship game appearance thanks to a its 63-57 semifinal win over the top seed from the Blue Division, No. 21 Colorado College on Saturday afternoon at the Maher Athletic Center on the campus of host institution the University of Dallas.
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The Bulldogs jumped out to an early 8-4 lead midway through the first quarter before the Tigers responded and took a 12-10 lead just two minutes later. Texas Lutheran pushed its lead to 20-14 at the end of the first quarter. A layup from TLU's Emerald St. Laurent gave the Bulldogs a 26-14 lead at the 6:18-mark of the second quarter. Texas Lutheran then took a 36-22 lead into the halftime break. Colorado College fought back and used an 11-3 run to the start the third-quarter and cut the Texas Lutheran lead to just 39-33 after a layup from Zoe Tomlinson. Tomlinson then cut the lead to 45-40 with 2:47 to play in the third. She then helped pull the Tigers to within four at 49-45 with 9:39 left in the fourth after a tip-in. From there, the Bulldogs did not let the Tigers get any closer as they secured the win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Texas Lutheran shot the ball at a 43.9 percent (25-of-57) clip for the game compared to just 32.8 percent (22-of-67) for Colorado College.
- The Bulldogs shot at a near 60.0 percent clip to open the game while also shooting 53.3 percent in the second quarter. In contrast, the Tigers were held to under 30.0 percent from the floor in the opening two quarters.
- Texas Lutheran held a sizable 33-8 edge in points off the bench while also outscoring Colorado College 42-30 in the paint.
- Both teams controlled the glass as the Bulldogs held a slim 40-39 rebounding margin.
- The game featured five ties and four lead changes.
TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Lauren Sansano: 18 points, 7 rebounds, 9-of-12 FG's, 2 assists
- Sarahi Jones: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 5-of-12 FG's, 2 steals
- Kailee Mulkey: 13 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists
- Zaria Solis: 13 points, 4 rebounds, 5-of-8 FG's
COLORADO COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Zoe Tomlinson: 20 points, 13 rebounds, 9-of-18 FG's, 4 assists, 2 steals
- Kayla Mackel: 15 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal
- Isa Nelson: 8 points, 3 rebounds, 2 steals
NOTABLES
- Texas Lutheran will be making its fourth overall appearance in the SCAC title game and its first sine winning the conference championship in 2019.
- Saturday's semifinal matchup between Texas Lutheran and Colorado College was the fourth SCAC tournament matchup between the two. The Bulldogs improve to 1-3 in the four all-time meetings, including today's win.
- Texas Lutheran and Colorado College last met in the 2024 SCAC semifinals when the Bulldogs earned a 57-52 victory.
- The Bulldogs improved to 13-8 all-time in the SCAC tournament while the Tigers moved to 9-13 in SCAC postseason play.
- Colorado College falls to 23-3 on the season and will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.
UP NEXT
Texas Lutheran (22-4) advances to take on either No. 1G McMurry or No. 3G Trinity in Sunday's championship game. Tip-off is scheduled for 12 p.m. CT.
