San Antonio, TEXAS – The Trinity women's basketball team (14-10, 10-3 SAA) will play the final game of the regular season at Southwestern University (13-11, 4-9 SAA) on Feb. 21. The Tigers have already secured the No. 1 spot in the upcoming SAA tournament, but will hope to extend their momentum with a win this weekend against the Pirates.
 
Last Time Out
 
The Tigers defeated Berry 63-54 this past weekend, winning a matchup defined by intense defense and low scoring. The two teams gave up 46 total turnovers, but it was Trinity who held the upper hand in the shooting battle and, in turn, the scoreboard. The Tigers shot 52% from the field despite hitting just 13% of their threes, while Berry shot 36% from the field and 31% from three. The Vikings got over their poor shooting performance on the offensive glass, where they grabbed 11 offensive rebounds more than Trinity, allowing them to take eight more shots than the visiting team. The Tigers got a huge night from Kylie Minter, who recorded a season-high 27 points on 85% (11-13) shooting and 50% (1-2) from three, while contributing 2 rebounds and 2 steals. Skye O'Rourke also posted a season-high of 19 points on 86% (6-7) shooting, to go along with 5 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals.
 
Preview - Season Finale
 
On the Southwestern Pirates: Southwestern hasn't been able to get much going in their conference schedule, with three of their four wins coming against struggling Sewanee and Rhodes College, who have combined for just four SAA wins this season. Their last two outings, losses against Berry College and Oglethorpe University, were exemplary of their offensive frustrations, shooting a combined 34% from the field and 12% from three. Against the Stormy Petrels, they failed to connect on all 17 of their shots from deep. In January, the Pirates failed to stop Trinity's offensive juggernaut, allowing them to connect on more than 54% of their shots from the field and from three, while shooting just 30% from the field themselves. Southwestern, having struggled shooting the ball all year, will have to turn things around this weekend if they hope to close the regular season out with a win.
 
Freshman guard Neela Castillo leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.8 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 2,5 steals on 38% shooting from the field. Her impact was stunted against the Tigers earlier this season, when she was held to just 2 points, 4 rebounds and 3 assists on 7% (1-13) shooting, while giving up 7 turnovers. Junior forward Trinity Benitez acts as the Pirates' inside presence, averaging 12.1 points and 6.6 rebounds on 49% shooting on the year. She posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 rebounds against Trinity, despite shooting just 31% from the field.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The SAA Championships, hosted by Berry College, will begin on Feb. 26, giving the Tigers the opportunity to claim what so many other Trinity programs have already captured; an inaugural SAA title. They've already locked up the No. 1 seed in the tournament, and will play the winner of the matchup between the No. 4 and No. 5 seeds on Feb. 27th.