The women’s basketball team is already looking forward to next season following a National Championship loss.
The Stars placed runner-up at the 2019 NAIA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship tournament March 13-19 in Billings, Montana.
The Stars went on a four-game winning streak against Arizona Christian University (75-71), Carroll College (60-59), Clarke University (76-72), and Our Lady of the Lake University (85-70) before losing 59-75 against University of Montana Western. This is OCU’s fourth time as national runners-up. The Stars won the national championship nine times.
The team is remaining hopeful for next season, said Bo Overton, head women’s basketball coach.
“I’m really proud of the team this year,” Overton said. “I really can see on their faces, during this tournament and especially when we lost, that they feel like they can come back and have a great season next year.
Overton said much of the team’s success comes from the leadership of Senior Guard Michaela Kay and Senior Forward Taylor LaCour.
“I think that the two seniors led the rest of the team on how we’re supposed to work to get ready for a season and a tournament like that,” Overton said. “I really think they showed the other players what was needed to get your work done and lead them in that direction.”
Freshman Guard Mallory Lockhart was the top scorer for the Stars in the championship game with 11 points while shooting seven-for-seven from the free-throw line. Freshman Center Abby Selzer scored 10 points and made the all-tournament first team. Lockhart and Junior Forward Brennyn Seagler made the all-tournament second team.
Seagler said playing in the championship was a good experience despite the loss.
“I just really enjoyed getting to play in the national championship atmosphere and getting to do it with my best friends,” Seagler said. “It was so much fun. Of course I wish we could’ve won that last game, but it was a great experience, and I wouldn’t have wanted to make it that far with anybody else.”
The experience should help the team going forward, Seagler said.
“We’re a young team, so getting that experience in should help us next year,” Seagler said.
The men’s basketball team lost in the second round of the NAIA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship tournament on Friday with an 80-69 loss to Carroll. The tournament was in Kansas City, Missouri.
Video of the women’s semi-final win can be downloaded on ocu.sports.com.
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