SAN ANTONIO – The Trinity University women's basketball team suffered a narrow 94-91 overtime defeat against nationally-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University on Friday night.

The Tigers fell to 5-3 this season with the loss, while the Titans remained undefeated at 11-0 on the year. Illinois Wesleyan came into the weekend ranked third in the latest D3hoops.com national poll, while the Women's Basketball Coaches Association has the team ranked fourth in the latest Division III ranking. This is Trinity's first loss in four games against Illinois Wesleyan and was the first meeting between the two schools since 2013.

Trinity led by 11 points heading into the final quarter, but the visiting Titans posted a 35-point fourth quarter to tie things up by the end of regulation. Illinois Wesleyan erased a nine-point lead in the final 2:24 to battle back and knotted things up with a layup with just 5.9 seconds remaining. After trailing most of the overtime period, the Tigers tied the game at 91-91 with just over a minute left; however, IWU quickly pulled back in front and was able to score the final three points of the game to steal the win.

Trinity had a pair of 20-point scorers in the game, though it wasn't the usual suspects as Bailey Timmons (Argyle, Texas / Argyle) and Skye O'Rourke (Austin, Texas / Vandegrift) both set new career highs in points. O'Rourke finished with a team-best 21 points on 8-of-16 shooting, adding six rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals. Timmons matched her previous career best at halftime, then went on to finish with 20 points on 9-of-13 from the field and a team-leading seven boards.

Usual suspects Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) and Kylie Minter (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) also reached double figures with matching 16-point nights. Both tied for the team lead with three steals each, while Napoli also dished out a Tiger-best five assists. Natalie Greenwood (Roanoke, Texas / Byron Nelson) came off the bench to score nine points in just 16 minutes, while Livy Sauvageau (Houston, Texas / Second Baptist) chipped in with seven points and four assists.

The Rundown
Trinity had a couple of early turnovers, but Minter knocked down a long-range bucket for the game's first score. It took Illinois Wesleyan nearly two minutes to get on the board, but when the team did score it became the start of a 10-0 run that put the visitors in command early. Timmons broke up that streak with consecutive layups to bring it back to a three-point game at the midway point of the opening quarter. The Tigers continued to struggle scoring, and the Titans had the lead up to 16-7 with under three to go in the first quarter. The lead was still nine in the final minute, but Sauvageau nailed a three-pointer in the final seconds to make it a 20-14 game after one.

Illinois Wesleyan got the first basket of the next period, but the second quarter belonged to the Tigers. Timmons sunk a three-pointer just over three minutes into the period to cut the lead to just 24-23. The Titans were back up by five when Greenwood started a run that put Trinity in control of the game, scoring two layups to pull them back within one, and then O'Rourke gave the Tigers the lead with a fastbreak bucket. All told, it was 11 consecutive points for Trinity that made it a 34-28 game with 1:38 left in the first half. Illinois Wesleyan had just one point in the final 5:33 of the second quarter, coming in in the closing moments of the half. After the streak of 11 straight was snapped with a single free throw, Timmons scored back-to-back layups to take the lead to 38-29 at the break. She scored seven points in the final two minutes to vault the Tigers into the lead.

Despite giving up the first score to start the second half, Trinity's momentum from the end of the second quarter carried over into the third. The Tigers used a 10-2 run after the initial score by IWU to take a 48-33 lead – the biggest of the game for the home team. Minter and O'Rourke had four points each during that run. Trinity led by double figures the rest of the quarter – except for a brief moment in the final two minutes when IWU got it down to a nine-point game. Greenwood scored immediately after to make it a 61-50 Tiger lead, which is where it stayed as neither team scored again in the final minute of the third quarter.

Illinois Wesleyan found its stroke in the fourth quarter and began to rally immediately. It took less than 3:30 to to tie things up 66-66, but O'Rourke and Timmons kept the Tigers from falling behind by combining for 13 straight Trinity points. Minter and Napoli then got in on the action down the stretch, capping back-to-back scores with a three-pointer from Napoli to make it an 80-71 lead with 2:24 to play. The Titans scored the next six points to make it a one-possession game with under two minutes left, then hit a three-pointer to pull within one near the one-minute mark. Napoli scored twice in the final minute to keep the Tigers in front, but the Titans eventually knotted things up 85-85 in the final seconds to force overtime.

Overtime began with Illinois Wesleyan striking first with three quick points, but O'Rourke answered and had the Tigers within one just over a minute in. After the Titans got a second-chance bucket with 3:32 remaining, both teams failed to score again for over a minute. Minter brought Trinity within one again after sinking a pair of free throws, then Napoli also hit two foul shots to tie the game at 91-91 with 1:23 left. Illinois Wesleyan got a second-chance basket after a missed three-pointer on the next possession, then Trinity missed a potential go-ahead three-pointer. The Tigers played solid defense to keep IWU from getting a shot, but then fouled with 15.7 seconds left. The Titans hit one of the two free throws to give Trinity one last chance, but the game-tying three-pointer was blocked, and IWU kept its unbeaten streak alive.

Coach Speak
"In the acclaimed film School of Rock, the students of Horace Green Prep find their way to the finals of the battle of the bands," said Head Coach Cameron Hill. "Already an incredible accomplishment, what's better was their attitude about coming in second. They maintain that one great rock show can change the world. Playing in this game tonight was a lot like playing one great rock show: while I can't say we changed the world, I do believe we belonged. It was an honor to share the stage with the worthy opponent and we look forward to our encore. ONWARD!"

Up Next
Trinity will have a day off tomorrow, then will be back on the court to host East Texas Baptist University at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 29.