MILWAUKEE, Wis. - The Benedictine University women's basketball team saw the season come to a close with a 71-51 loss to top-seeded Wisconsin Lutheran in the NACC Championship.
Benedictine did not lead in the contest as Wisconsin Lutheran claimed a fifth consecutive tournament title. The hosts scored the first seven points of the game and opened a 13-3 lead less than five minutes into the contest. Wisconsin Lutheran led by 18 points at the half, 43-25, shooting near 60 percent.
Jasma Williams brought Benedictine within 16 points at 50-34 with 12:27 remaining in the contest but Wisconsin Lutheran responded with eight in a row to gain the largest advantage of the contest. The Warriors led by 30 before a late 10-0 run.
Kirsten Pope netted the first four points of the run.
The bench netted 39 points off the bench. Williams finished as the leading scorer with nine points.
DeKayla Crayton added seven points. Benedictine struggled from the floor, shooting just 32.3 percent from the field.
Benedictine finishes the season with an 18-10 record, the second most wins in the NACC era which opened in 2006-07. The Eagles, who opened the season 0-5, returned to the conference final for the first time since 2010. The contest concludes the career of seniors
Vincenza Ranallo,
Meghan Novak,
Michelle Batty,
Kirsten Pope and
Lisa Kurth.
