SAN ANTONIO – The No. 4/5 Trinity women's basketball team won its third consecutive Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship by defeating Colorado College 64-54 in the Conference Tournament Final on Sunday afternoon.

The Tigers are undefeated in SCAC Tournament play since falling in the SCAC Championship game in 2019, winning each of the last three SCAC titles over Colorado College. The win gives Trinity a 26-1 record this season and avenges the team's only loss of the season less than one month ago.

With the win, Trinity's women's basketball program has won nine overall SCAC Championships – the most in conference history. Today marked the 11th straight year that the Tigers have played in the SCAC Tournament Championship game and the team has won six of the last eight conference titles.

Trinity used a 17-4 second quarter to build its lead to double digits by halftime, then led by as many as 25 points late in the third quarter. Colorado College mounted a comeback in the final frame and drew within eight points with just under two minutes remaining. Trinity allowed just one shot and force two turnovers in the final minute, though, and held on for the victory. The Tigers forced 29 turnovers in the game, leading to 26 points.

Ashlyn Milton (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo) was named the SCAC Tournament Most Valuable Player after leading the Tigers with a pair of double-figure scoring games this weekend. She finished with 12 points in today's game after scoring 20 in yesterday's SCAC Semifinal.

Maggie Shipley (Arlington, Va. / Yorktown) and Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) led the team with 17 points each in the championship game, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team for both players as well. Shipley led the team with six rebounds, while Napoli finished with five boards.

Maggie Robbins (Plano, Texas / Plano), Claire Hale (San Antonio, Texas / Brandeis), and Addie Putnam (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Xavier College Prep) all contributed six points each. Robbins also led the team with three assists and four steals.

In addition to the conference title, Trinity also secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs, which begin next weekend. The NCAA Selection Show is scheduled to air on NCAA.com tomorrow at 2:30 p.m. (ET), which will determine when and were the Tigers will begin their NCAA Tournament run.

The Rundown
Trinity never trailed in the game as Milton started off with five quick points to put Colorado College on its heels early. After the visitors scored their first bucket, Shipley and Putnam added back-to-back scores to give Trinity its largest lead of the quarter (9-2) with just over three minutes remaining. Colorado College scored the final five points of the quarter to cut it to a 14-13 lead, though that was as close as the CC Tigers would get the rest of the game.

The second quarter began with Trinity scoring 10 unanswered points and pushing the lead to double figures less than four minutes into the period. The TU Tigers outscored Colorado College 17-4 in the quarter to widen the gap to 14 points by halftime.

Napoli and Hale scored eight points in less than 90 seconds to start the second half, and Trinity's lead ballooned to 22 points at 39-17. Colorado College scored seven of the next eight to trim the lead to 16, but Trinity responded with three consecutive three-point baskets from Robbins, Putnam, and Napoli to make it a 49-24 advantage with 2:35 left in the third quarter. The lead was still 25 in the final minute when Colorado College scored back-to-back buckets to make it a 51-30 game heading into the fourth quarter.

Trinity got the first score of the final quarter, which ended up being the only points for Trinity until the midway point. Meanwhile, Colorado College scored 11 straight to bring the lead back to just 12 points with 5:29 remaining. Hale converted an and-one to stop the streak and take the lead back to 56-41, but Colorado College continued to rally.

Six straight points in less than a minute made it an eight-point game with 1:57 left, but another and-one conversion – this time by Robbins – kept Colorado College from getting any closer. The CC Tigers hit a three-pointer on their next possession to bring it back to eight with 83 seconds left. After Trinity missed its next shot, Milton stole the ball on the ensuing possession and was fouled with 36 seconds left. She knocked down both free throws to seal the victory and complete the scoring.

Coach Speak
"My favorite part of winning a SCAC Championship is hearing We are the Champions," revealed Head Coach Cameron Hill. "Not because we won, but because the Nerds won! Booger, LaMar, Poindexter, Lewis, and Gilbert. They came together, overcame the Alpha Betas, and then taught the world to respect everyone. I think that is also true of our team. While we may win often, we win well. Congrats to each team that made the postseason. ONWARD!!!"

Up Next
Trinity will play in the NCAA Tournament next weekend at a site to be determined. The opponent for the Tigers, as well as the location of the games, will be revealed during the NCAA Selection Show on Monday, February 27, at 2:30 p.m. (ET).