No. 25 'Roos Hold Off Trinity

SHERMAN, Texas –The No. 25-ranked Austin College women's basketball team got out to a 20-point halftime lead and withstood a barrage of threes from Trinity University in the third quarter, topping the Tigers 61-52 to improve to 8-1 overall and 1-0 in Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference play.

Bryce Frank recorded her seventh double-double of the season with 18 points and 11 rebounds and Ally Longaker scored a season-best 15, and Austin College used a tremendous defensive effort in the first half to take a 32-12 lead into the break. The 'Roos held Trinity without a field goal until 34 seconds left in the first quarter, when Jackie Layng knocked down a three to make it 13-5 after one. 

The 'Roos scored the first seven points of the second quarter before Trinity cut it to a 22-10 game, but Austin College would end the half on a 10-2 run. Reagan Chiaverini scored all 10 points for the 'Roos during the run, including a pair of threes and a baseline runner at the buzzer to make it 32-12 at the break. 

Julia Ackerman caught fire for the Tigers in the third quarter as Trinity exploded for 30 points in the frame, hitting 8-of-11 threes as a team. Ackerman made 5-of-7 in the period, while Emily Daniel knocked down all three of her attempts from beyond the arc as Trinity cut the margin to 47-42 heading into the fourth quarter.

However, Austin College would turn things up once again on defense in the final period, holding the Tigers to just 26.3% shooting and an 0-for-9 performance from deep in the frame. Trinity cut it to a 47-46 game a minute and a half into the fourth, but Natalie McCoy answered with a three to make it 50-46. 

Longaker followed that up with a three-point-play to extend the lead to 53-46. The Tigers got the margin back down to two at 54-52 with 1:39 left, but that would be the last bucket of the game for Trinity. Bryce Frank scored inside and Ann Savage knocked down 4-of-4 from the stripe down the stretch to seal the win.

Along with her double-double, Frank added four assists and three steals, while Longaker grabbed four boards and dished out three assists. Savage handed out six assists and added five rebounds and three steals, as Austin College shot just 40.4% from the field and 26.7% from deep. 

Trinity ended the game shooting 29.4% from the field and 27.8% from deep, and Ackerman scored all of her team-high 15 points in the third. Daniel finished with 11 as the only other player in double-figures. Anna Muller came off the bench to grab a game-high 17 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass.

Austin College will be looking to extend its winning streak to five games tomorrow when the 'Roos travel to Irving to take on the University of Dallas with tipoff set for 2:00 p.m. 

Austin College athletic teams participate as a member of the NCAA Division III and the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference.