SHERMAN, Texas – The top-seeded Tiger women's basketball team began its part of the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament with a 90-77 win over hosting Austin College on Saturday evening.

(Photo Credit: SCAC / Portions of this story were taken from the SCAC recap.)

Trinity won its 23rd consecutive game and improved to 24-2 this season. The Tigers will now play in the SCAC Championship game for the 10th consecutive season. Trinity's winning streak is the best in school history and the second-longest in conference history. The program's 10 straight SCAC finals is a conference record for the modern era – as is the 15 overall SCAC Championship appearances.

Ashlyn Milton (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo) led all scorers with 25 points and was one of three Trinity players in double figures. Milton nailed six three-pointers to finish one shy of the SCAC Tournament record. Overall, the Tigers scored 16 three-point field goals, which is a new SCAC Tournament record for a team.

Trinity will face off against Colorado College in the SCAC Championship game for the second straight season. The TU Tigers defeated the CC Tigers 73-63 in last year's title game, which was played in San Antonio.

The Rundown

The first quarter began with Austin College in control, hitting a quick three-pointer and holding the lead for most of the period. The Tigers trailed 13-7 with just under six minutes left in the quarter when a pair of layups cut it to a one-possession game less than a minute later. Milton nailed a three-pointer as the clock ticked under four minutes to give Trinity its first lead at 16-15.

Austin went back in front on the next possession and remained ahead until Emily Nelson (Sugar Land, Texas / Saint Agnes Academy) knocked down a three-pointer to knot things up at 20-20 with under two minutes left. After the 'Roos answered with a score of their own to edge back in front, Kelly Simmons (Washington, D.C. / Antonian) made the final two shots of the period to give Trinity a 24-22 lead after the opening quarter. The Tigers never gave up the lead again the rest of the night.

The teams traded baskets to open the second quarter, but Julia Ackerman (Orange County, Calif. / JSerra Prep) and Milton sank back-to-back triples to push Trinity in front 32-24 less than two minutes into the period. Austin drew back within five with a three-pointer with just under seven minutes left in the half, but the Tigers held the home team to just five points the rest of the way.

Trinity began an 11-3 run after that three-pointer by the 'Roos, which included a pair of threes in a 62-second span by Nelson. Both Nelson and Ackerman finished with six points in the period, while Milton scored seven, and the trio accounted for 19 of Trinity's 21 points in the quarter. Neither team scored over the final 1:49, but the Tigers still led 45-34 at the break.

The third quarter began with Trinity scoring eight of the first 11 points in less than three minutes, taking a 53-37 lead on another three-pointer from Milton. The Tigers kept the lead in double figures until the 2:32 mark when Austin drew within nine at 59-50. Trinity promptly went on an 8-0 run that began with a three-pointer from Carly Leong (Palo Alto, Calif. / Palo Alto). Maggie Shipley (Arlington, Va. / Yorktown) scored the final five points of the run and had eight points total in the quarter to lead the team. Austin got a bucket in the final minute to break up the streak, but Trinity led 67-52 heading into the final 10 minutes.

Trinity answered an early three-pointer by Austin with eight straight points, including two more three-pointers from Ackerman and Milton. Milton also dropped in a layup to close the run and put the Tigers in front 75-55. The 'Roos drew within 13 points with 4:20 to play, but Leong scored seven of her 10 fourth-quarter points down the stretch to keep the Tigers comfortably in front.

Numbers to Note

Shipley finished with 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting, adding three assists and a pair of steals.

Leong joined her teammates with 13 points off the bench, connecting on 5-of-8 field goals and pulling down four rebounds.

Maggie Robbins (Plano, Texas / Plano) dished out a game-best eight assists, as well as grabbing four boards to go with a couple of steals.

Simmons just missed a double-double with nine points and a game-leading 10 rebounds.

Nelson hit 3-of-3 from distance for her nine points, while Ackerman also nailed three three-pointers for a nine-point night.

Hailey Coleman (Kansas City, Mo. / St. Teresa's Academy) finished with eight points and six rebounds, handing out a pair of assists and recording two blocks.

Trinity held a significant 40-4 advantage in bench scoring. The Tigers also hit 55.7% from the field and 47.1% (16-of-34) from long-range.

Coach Speak

"Great night to be a Trinity Tiger," said Head Coach Cameron Hill. "Austin played hard and gave us a great environment to compete within. I thought our players were awfully good throughout. Very proud to be playing again on Sunday. Tomorrow will be a great game."

Up Next

The Tigers face off against Colorado College in the SCAC Championship game tomorrow at 2:00 p.m.