Austin College Locks Up SCAC Tournament Berth

AUSTIN, Texas – Behind a dominant 26-point fourth quarter, the Austin College women's basketball team surged past Concordia University Texas for a 65-53 road victory on Sunday evening at the Concordia Fieldhouse. The 'Roos used a high-pressure defense and efficient free-throw shooting to pull away in the final period of the Southern Collegiat Athletic Conference matchup, which helped Austin College solidify a spot in the SCAC Tournament.

Trinity Williams led all scorers with 23 points and narrowly missed a double-double with nine rebounds. Lexi Martin was equally vital to the Austin College effort, contributing 18 points and shooting a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. After trailing for much of the game and finding themselves trailing 39-30 midway through the third, the 'Roos outscored Concordia 35-14 the rest of the way, including 26-12 in the final period.

The game began as a defensive battle, with Concordia holding a slim 16-11 lead after the first quarter. Austin College struggled to find its rhythm early but remained within striking distance thanks to a late first-quarter jumper by Emma Potts at the 35-second mark. The second quarter saw both teams trade leads multiple times. Martin tied the game at 17-17 with a three-pointer at the 6:01 mark, and the teams went into the halftime break with Concordia holding a narrow 28-24 advantage.

Concordia managed to extend its lead to as many as nine points in the third quarter after Taysie Trejo converted a layup and a free throw to make it 35-26 with 6:55 remaining in the period, and that margin remained for the next few minutes of action. However, Austin College began to chip away at the deficit. Trinity Williams scored on consecutive possessions late in the third, including a tip-in just before the buzzer to bring the 'Roos within two points at 41-39 heading into the final frame.

The fourth quarter belonged entirely to Austin College. Avory Miller tied the game at 41-41 with a layup at the 9:21 mark, and Lexi Martin gave Austin College the lead for good with a clutch three-pointer with 7:51 remaining. Maya Dodson provided a defensive spark, recording four steals in the game, including a key takeaway that led to her own layup with 4:11 left to push the lead to 52-47.

In the closing minutes, Austin College sealed the win at the charity stripe. Martin and Trinity Williams combined to go 6-for-6 from the line in the final 47 seconds to prevent any hope of a Concordia comeback. Brooklyn Matthews also provided a late boost, scoring six points and grabbing seven rebounds to help the 'Roos control the interior.

Concordia was led by Aja Holmes, who finished with 14 points, while Taysie Trejo and Katelyn Tietjen each added 11 points in the loss. Despite winning the rebounding battle 45-37, the Tornados were undone by 20 turnovers, which Austin College converted into 20 points. With the win, Austin College improves to 12-9 overall and 9-3 in SCAC play.