The Tigers fell in both conference games this weekend.

They lost on the road against Southwestern University and Texas Lutheran University.

Friday, Feb. 6, they went to Georgetown, Texas, hoping to avenge their one point loss to Southwestern on Jan. 16, but they fell once again 52-61.

The game was close throughout, with the biggest lead being seven points for either team until the closing seconds.

The Tigers held a slight five-point lead (27-22) going into the break, but could not pull away from the Pirates in the second half.

The game was tied at 45 with four minutes and 49 seconds left. At that point; the Pirates took the lead and did not relinquish it.

The Tigers were out-rebounded 52-23 in the game, which gave Southwestern many second-chance opportunities.

“We just got absolutely blasted on the boards, which is something they count on,” said head coach Cameron Hill. “Every time the ball goes up they have three girls crashing the offensive glass, and it really helps them.”

Junior forward Anecia Richardson and senior guard Lauren Splawn were both in double-digits in the game with 15 and 13 points respectively. Richardson was 7-9 from the field and had seven rebounds.

“Since there is that rivalry””[Southwestern] players always come out ready to play. They have a lot more energy when they play us. Maybe that’s why they have gotten us both times,” said sophomore Allison Staley. “Third time’s a charm, and they are not getting us a third time.”

Saturday, Feb. 7, the Tigers lost 61-55 at Texas Lutheran University in their last game of the weekend.

In the first half, Trinity shot just 29.2 percent from the field, and TLU had the 27-18 advantage going into halftime.

“We shot too many shots that weren’t falling,” Richardson said. “We couldn’t get as many open shots as we wanted and had too many moments where we were shooting too late in the clock.”

The Tiger defense helped make up for the lack of offense by holding TLU to nine made field goals in the period.

The second half began with a 12-0 run by the Tigers, as they took the 30-27 lead. During the half they led by as many as eight points (40-32), but they were unable to hold onto the lead.

The difference in the game came at the free throw line. TLU went 20-28 from the free throw line””14-20 in the second half””while the Tigers only had six attempts all game.

Over the course of the weekend they were outscored 40-9 from the free-throw line.

“Both these teams do a good job of getting to the foul line,” Hill said. “The bottom line is that they worked harder to get to the foul line and took advantage, and we didn’t.”

Sophomore guard Monica Holguin and Richardson were the only players in double figures for the Tigers with 10 points each.

Richardson finished with a double-double, adding 10 rebounds to her 10 points, while only playing 17 minutes in the game because of foul trouble throughout.

“Every season gives you the opportunity to learn from the roadblocks that show up out of nowhere, and that’s what we’re doing right now. We’re navigating this path that is ultimately going to make us the best team we can be, come tournament time,” Hill said.

After the two losses, Trinity’s record is now 17-5 overall and 8-3 in conference play. The Tigers have three more games of regular SCAC play before the championship tournament.

This weekend, the Tigers return home to take on two more conference opponents.

At 6 p.m. Friday, Feb. 13, the Tigers play Austin College and at 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 14, they will play the University of Dallas.

Then at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 the Tigers take on Schreiner in their last regular season game before the SCAC Championships from Feb. 27 to March 1.