SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Montana Western pushed the defending NAIA nationwide champion an evening after knocking off final yr’s runner-up, however a handful of late turnovers made victory unimaginable in an eventual 66-62 nationwide event quarterfinal loss to Thomas Extra on Wednesday.
Brynley Fitzgerald scored 14 factors in her ultimate sport as a Bulldog, whereas fellow senior Mesa King added six factors and eight rebounds.
“That is in all probability the most important heartbreak I’ve ever had in my life,” King stated postgame. “I’ve been right here six years and I actually by no means thought basketball was gonna finish for me … I can’t imagine (the tip) is right here, however I wouldn’t commerce it for a single dime.
“These ladies — this program, this tradition that coach (Lindsay) Woolley has made, I’ve by no means been part of one thing extra wonderful in my whole life. I’m endlessly grateful for the alternatives Western has given me.”
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King was a member of the 2019 Bulldog workforce that gained a nationwide championship, and as a sixth-year senior, began each sport on the squad that performed deeper into the postseason than any workforce since.
Western checked off its first-ever win on the Sioux Metropolis ultimate web site on Tuesday night time (actually Wednesday morning) and performed longer than some other Frontier Convention ladies’s workforce.
The Bulldogs spent practically two weeks on the street on this nationwide event journey, one which noticed Western lower the nets down in Park Metropolis, Kansas, earlier than beating the No. 4-ranked workforce within the nation.
“I used to be younger after we gained that, however I knew yearly that we received an opportunity, we have been gonna take advantage of it and make our look right here at nationals,” King stated.
“Being on the street so long as we have now, it’s been nice, it’s been fairly the expertise. While you love your workforce as a lot as (we do), it’s fairly straightforward to remain on the street this lengthy.”
Fitzgerald, who joined the Bulldogs a season after their nationwide title, knocked down the ultimate two 3-point makes an attempt of her collegiate profession. The primary one, on the primary play again within the sport after sitting for 4 minutes in foul bother, pulled Western inside a degree.
The final one gave Western life down 4 factors with below a minute to play, however two defensive possessions later, Fitzgerald fouled out because the Saints went to the road to ice the sport.
“I believed we received good pictures, particularly within the first half, we simply didn’t make any within the first half,” Woolley stated.
“I used to be actually pleased with our effort defensively to only kinda keep it up, keep it up, keep it up. We simply misplaced (Thomas Extra’s Alex Smith) … The margin is skinny and we simply didn’t make sufficient performs.”
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E mail Daniel Shepard at daniel.shepard@406mtsports.com or discover him on Twitter @IR_DanielS.