Posted: Mar 01, 2026
CONWAY, Ark. -- Austin College jumped out to a 32-17 halftime lead, held off a third quarter Texas Lutheran charge, and prevailed to advance to the program's first title game since winning the 2020 championship with Saturday's 53-43 victory over Texas Lutheran University in the final semifinal game of the day at the 2026 SCAC Women's Championship Tournament on the campus of Hendrix College. Official Tournament Website | Photo Gallery | Postgame Interview | Women's Tournament Stats
Led by junior Lexi Martin’s 12 points, highlighted by a trio of three-pointers, the ‘Roos had three starters reach double figures to push the ‘Roos to Sunday’s Championship game.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- TLU opened the scoring and took a 2-0 lead, but Austin College responded with a 5-0 run to take a lead they would never relinquish .
- Fueled by an 11-0 run that stretched from the end of the first quarter, into the second, capped off by a Martin three-point field goal with 5:44 left in the half, Austin College took a 15-point lead into the break.
- The ‘Roos would stretch the lead to 19, their largest of the night, with 6:55 left in the third quarter courtesy of an Avory Miller free throw.
- Texas Lutheran responded, holding Austin College scoreless the rest of the quarter and put together a 15-0 run, cutting the ‘Roos’ lead to four, 36-32, with 9:18 remaining in the fourth. However, on the following possession, Brooklyn Matthews converted on a layup to stop the Bulldog run as Austin College held off a late charge, converting on 7-of-8 free throws in the fourth quarter to help vault the ‘Roos into the program’s second-ever SCAC Championship contest.
- TLU connected on 40.9 percent from the field, while Austin College finished the night hitting 37.5 percent from the floor. The ‘Roos held a 31-30 edge on the boards, converted 15 points on 21 TLU turnovers and dished out 14 assists to just nine for the Bulldogs.
AUSTIN COLLEGE STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Lexi Martin: 12 points, 2 assists, 1 steal
- Brooklyn Matthews: 10 points, 5 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist
- Avory Miller: 10 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals
- Kaylee Smith: 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 steals
TEXAS LUTHERAN UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Lauren Sansano: 10 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
- Davi’Yanna Jones: 11 points, 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
- Hannah Gallegos: 7 points, 1 steal, 1 rebound
NOTABLES
- Tonight marked the first win in program history against TLU in the SCAC Tournament. Previously, Austin College had been 0-2 against the Bulldogs in SCAC postseason play.
- The ‘Roos improve to 8-12 all-time in SCAC Tournament play, while TLU drops to 15-9 all-time in SCAC Tournament action.
- Texas Lutheran ends its season with a 19-8 record .
UP NEXT
Austin College (15-11) advances to take on Hendrix (17-9) in tomorrow's championship game, which is scheduled to tip at 2 p.m. CT. Austin College swept the regular season series against the Warriors, winning 75-43 on Jan. 21 in Sherman and 70-59 on Feb. 20 in Connway. This will be just the second matchup between the two in SCAC tournament play. The two played in the quarterfinal round of the 2007 championships when fifth-seeded Austin College defeated fourth-seeded Hendrix, 82-69.
Austin College (15-11) advances to take on Hendrix (17-9) in tomorrow's championship game, which is scheduled to tip at 2 p.m. CT. Austin College swept the regular season series against the Warriors, winning 75-43 on Jan. 21 in Sherman and 70-59 on Feb. 20 in Connway. This will be just the second matchup between the two in SCAC tournament play. The two played in the quarterfinal round of the 2007 championships when fifth-seeded Austin College defeated fourth-seeded Hendrix, 82-69.
