Last weekend, Trinity women’s basketball traveled to Irving, Texas to compete in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference with the odds against them. In the first two rounds, the Tigers upset University of St. Thomas and McMurry University to appear in their 13th consecutive SCAC championship game. However, the Tigers finally fell short in the against Texas Lutheran University.

Quarterfinals: University of St. Thomas

On Friday afternoon, The Tigers’ first game of the tournament ended with a 77-73 win over St. Thomas. Junior guard Kylie Minter had a career-high 28 points during the game, scoring 16 in the fourth quarter. Senior guard Josie Napoli had a double-double with 16 points and 12 assists. The Tigers’ victory broke St. Thomas’ 11-game win streak. First-year Livy Sauvageau commented on the team’s preparation.

“The week leading up to the SCAC tournament was the best week of practice that I think we had all season,” Sauvageau said. “We were all focused on the task at hand and understood that we were not guaranteed anything. Our struggles early on motivated and encouraged us, knowing that we are able to fight through the things that are put in front of us.”

Heading into games where the odds didn’t look to be in their favor, the Tigers had to take a new approach. Head coach Cameron Hill described the team’s mindset heading into the tournament.

“The regular season is essentially doing all the research, and then the postseason is writing the paper. We go learn everything that we need to learn. We have all of our sites and all of our sources cited and all of those things, and now it’s like: show me that you’ve paid attention,” Hill said. “You know what this team does. Here’s what we need to do to mitigate their strengths. Let’s see if we can do it.”

Semifinals: McMurry University

In the semifinals, Trinity rode their momentum to narrowly defeat McMurry 65-64. Trinity created early momentum in the first quarter thanks to points from Napoli, Minter, Sauvageau and junior guard Skye O’Rourke. Trinity’s rebounding in the second quarter secured a 10-point lead at the end of the first half. The close game brought out an intense energy from the crowd and the team.

“Being there, it’s different. The intensity is different. Everyone has their game face on, and the air is thick in there too,” senior guard Bailey Timmons said. “Everything is super intense, but I think that’s where our team thrives … We were definitely ready for that, in a way. And I think some of those losses during the year prepare us for those moments.”

McMurry fought back in the second quarter closing the gap, but the Tigers answered back with points from Minter. After O’Rourke stole the ball and drew a foul, the team passed the ball to Napoli who hit three to end the third quarter. The teams remained neck-and-neck in the fourth quarter. With less than three minutes left, it was a 2-point game. Napoli had the ball in her hands and sunk a three to put Trinity ahead by one. Trinity’s defense held strong in the last seconds of the game, securing their spot in the finals.

“Embracing the adjustments that we made going into the tournament made an incredibly huge impact on our effectiveness and our team play,” Hill said. “The girls really deserve all the credit for that. They bought into what we were trying to do. They executed it really well. It was just different enough to give us an advantage. Teams weren’t prepared.”

Finals: Texas Lutheran University

The championship game kicked off on Sunday afternoon against TLU, who managed to upset No. 21 Colorado College in their semifinal matchup. TLU generated momentum in the first quarter and kept a lead over Trinity for the whole game. The Tigers fought back to reduce the deficit, but ultimately fell short 73-63. SCAC named Minter and Napoli to the SCAC Championship All-Tournament Team for their efforts.

Four players were also awarded SCAC honors for the 2024-2025 season: Josie Napoli, Bailey Timmons, Kylie Minter and Livy Sauvegeau. SCAC selected Napoli for All-SCAC first team for her second time. Timmons was an honorable mention for the second season in a row, Minter was selected for the second team for the second time in a row and first-year Livy Sauvegeau was awarded a spot on the SCAC All-Freshman team.

“Everyone on the team is committed to each other’s success and always willing to help in any way they can,” Sauvageau said “My freshman year was especially impactful, as it taught me the value of teamwork, perseverance during tough times, and I was able to build the confidence and experience needed to perform at higher levels. Looking at future years, I now have the confidence to take my game to an even higher level, and I also learned to be a leader like my upperclassman was to me.”