(Story courtesy of Austin College Athletics Communications)
ABILENE, Texas - The Austin College women's basketball team saw its season come to a close on Friday night in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Tournament, as the 'Roos struggled to find a rhythm offensively in a 73-51 defeat against host school Hardin-Simmons University. Austin College finishes the year with a record of 16-12.
Austin College shot 28.6% from the field and made 5-of-21 threes in the game as the 'Roos struggled to get things going offensively, while Hardin-Simmons knocked down 55.6% of their field goals to overcome a 10-of-24 performance at the free throw line and just three made triples. The Cowgirls also used a 38-28 advantage on the boards while limiting the 'Roos to just two second chance points.
Avory Miller and Lexi Martin led the way for Austin College, with Miller scoring a game-high 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting while Martin added 16 points, making 3-of-6 treys. Martin came out strong, helping the 'Roos keep pace in the opening frame after Hardin-Simmons scored the first six points of the game. The junior scored 10 points of Austin College's 12 points as HSU took a 14-12 lead. The advantage grew to 29-21 at halftime, and the margin expanded to 46-30 after three, with the middle two quarters proving to be the big difference in the game.
Hardin-Simmons managed to turn 15 Austin College turnovers into 18 points, while the 'Roos forced 11 turnovers but were only able to convert the giveaways into six points. The Cowgirls did the bulk of their damage inside, outscoring Austin College 50-16 in the paint, and they were able to utilize 29 bench points to pull away from the 'Roos.
Kaylee Smith scored seven of Austin College's nine bench points, adding four rebounds, while Miller and Maya Dodson paced the 'Roos with five boards each. Three players scored 13 points apiece to lead Hardin-Simmons.
