(Story Courtesy of Trinity University Sports Information Department)
ABILENE, Texas – The 10th-ranked Tiger women's basketball team opened up the NCAA Playoffs with a 61-57 victory over 22nd-ranked Hardin-Simmons University.
Trinity improved to 26-2 on the year with its 25th consecutive victory, which dates back to the last time these teams met in mid-November. The postseason victory is the first for Trinity in the NCAA Playoffs since 2017.
Ashlyn Milton nailed a pair of free throws in the final seconds to seal the win for the Tigers. Hardin-Simmons hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to two points before fouling Milton to set up the final points.
Maggie Robbins led Trinity with a career-high 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting, adding six rebounds and three steals. Maggie Shipley was the only other Tiger player to reach double figures, scoring 15 points on 7-of-13 shooting. Shipley also pulled down six boards to go with a team-best four assists.
The Rundown
Trinity got off to a strong start in the first quarter, scoring the first nine points of the game over two-plus minutes. Hardin-Simmons pulled back within five midway through the period, but back-to-back layups from Shipley pushed the lead back to nine, then Julia Ackerman hit her second three-pointer of the quarter to make it a 21-9 Tiger lead with just over two minutes left. Hardin-Simmons scored the final points of the quarter, but Trinity still lead 21-11 after one.
The Tigers struggled to score in the second quarter, finishing with just six total points during the period. The Cowgirls scored 11 of the first 12 points of the quarter to tie the game 22-22 with under four minutes left in the half, but Kelly Simmons put Trinity back in front with a three-pointer on the next possession.
Hardin-Simmons then took the lead with five straight points, including a three-pointer in the half-minute to go ahead by two. This time Trinity got the final shot, and Hailey Coleman got the offensive board and a putback at the buzzer to tie the game 27-27 at the break.
The teams traded baskets and the lead several times in the third quarter and the game was tied 37-37 with just over four minutes left. The Tigers scored seven of the final eight points of the quarter to take a 44-38 lead into the fourth quarter. Milton scored five of the seven points for Trinity during that stretch.
The lead got as high as eight early in the fourth quarter, but Hardin-Simmons scored seven unanswered to make it a one-possession game with just under five minutes left. The Cowgirls took the lead on a three-pointer with 3:36 to play, then Shipley tied it with a free throw on the next possession. She also sank a layup after HSU missed on its next chance, and Simmons followed that with another Tiger basket with under two minutes left.
The Cowgirls missed their next two shots, but did manage to cut it to a 54-52 game with a pair of free throws with 1:18 remaining. Robbins then dropped in a layup with under a minute to play to expand the lead back to four, and the Tiger defense forced Hardin-Simmons into a turnover. Trinity missed the ensuing free throws, but Hardin-Simmons missed a layup with 30 seconds left and the lead stayed at four. Coleman grabbed the rebound and was fouled immediately, then hit both foul shots to push the lead to six points.
Hardin-Simmons scored a layup with 14 seconds left and Trinity hit 1-of-2 at the line for a five-point lead with 13 seconds left. That set up the final sequence for Milton's game-sealing free throws in the final seconds.
Numbers to Note
Milton finished the game with nine points and seven rebounds, adding two steals and an assist.
Ackerman hit a pair of threes to finish with six points off the bench, while Simmons finished with five points and five rebounds.
Coleman scored seven points to go with a team-best eight rebounds and two blocked shots. With the eight rebounds, Coleman is now the 18th player in school history to record 500 or more rebounds in a career. She joins current teammate Simmons on the list.
Trinity hit 44.4% (24-of-54) from the field in the game and held the Cowgirls to 37.3% shooting. Both teams committed 18 turnovers, but the Tigers held a 15-2 advantage in fastbreak points.
Coach Speak
"Hardin-Simmons played an incredible game," said Head Coach Cameron Hill. "Their fans and athletic department showed up for their team in a wonderful way. It felt like we were able to overcome the entire city of Abilene to win this game tonight. The gym was electric and I thought our players embraced the road warrior mentality brilliantly. We are very focused on the next step but also very proud of this win."
Up Next
Trinity advances to the Second Round of the NCAA Playoffs against Whitman College (WA) tomorrow at 7:00 p.m.
