BRUNSWICK, ME - On the historic campus of Bowdoin College, McMurry University (23-5) faced off against #5 ranked Gustavus Adolphus (28-1) in Morrell Gymnasium. 

McMurry took the opening tip off but were unable to capitalize and were quickly down 0-4. Ashton Garner got the scoring for the War Hawks started off a steal and took it the distance for a layup, cutting into the lead. Emily Holland would tie it on a layup before the Gusties pulled out to a 8-4 lead. Katie Hale would knock down a three pointer and on the following possession drive to the basket and draw a foul, sinking one of her two free throws to tie the game again. Gustavus Adolphus would go on a mini run to widen their lead, but the ladies of McMurry would fight back and end the quarter down by two.

The second quarter would open with a block by Emily Holland and a fancy layup by Helana Chadwick brought the score back even at 14-all. The Gusties would then run out to a 25-17 lead after missed opportunities by McMurry. But, after Gustavus Adolphus pushed out their lead McMurry would fight and have athletic plays to secure points and work their way back into the game. The turning point in the half came on two outstanding plays by Helana Chadwick, who led McMurry in scoring with 15 points. Chadwick would convert a steal into a layup and hit a three pointer not long after off of great ball movement by the War Hawks to cut the lead to 27-22. The Gusties would push out to a 31-26 lead, but following a Jordan Gillespie block leading to a Kylie Flippin layup at the other end McMurry would close the gap to a three point deficit. In the final twenty seconds of the half Jordan Gillespie drew a foul and sank both free throws to tie the game at the end of the half 31-31.

The second half  opened with both teams going back and forth with two fouls apiece before Gustavus Adolphus opened the scoring with a layup. Through the first three minutes both teams would struggle to score much, but McMurry would close the small gap the Gusties had opened with a jumper made by Aryana Cleveland following a rebound by Ashton Garner. The teams would trade three pointers, but the Gusties would end up opening up a sizable lead at the end of 6 minutes 44-36. Again the War Hawks would work their way back into the game following a steal by Emily Holland setting up a Jordan Gillespie three pointer closing the gap to a Gustie three point lead. Teams would go back and forth in scoring before both teams cooled off and struggled to sink shots to end the quarter with a 50-45 lead for Gustavus Adolphus.

Gustavus Adolphus would open the fourth quarter with a 13-5 run to build a 63-50 lead. Emily Holland, who the Gusties had held to two points through the first three quarters, made a layup followed by a much needed three pointer to close the gap back to single digits. The War Hawks shooting would grow cold over the final minutes while Gustavus Adolphus pushed their lead back to double digits until dribbling out the final seconds securing a 71-58 victory. 

"When we started this thing it was never about the wins and the losses. It was about trying to build a family, to build a group that wanted to go to battle together every single day," Head Coach Drew Long had to say following the tough loss. "We believe if you do things the right way that the wins will follow and this group's a prime example." He added, "I couldn't be happier for them to be able to experience this and hope it's not a one and done thing for us. Hopefully we've laid a good foundation for this program."

The War Hawks finished their season with a 23-6 record, which ranks fifth best in program history, and should be proud of hanging with one of the top teams in the country until the very end.