-Bryce Hayes, TLU Sports Information
(Seguin) – Texas Lutheran clinched the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye in the upcoming Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship with a 50-45 home win over Austin College on Friday, and concluded the regular season with a 62-53 Senior Day win over Centenary on Saturday.
Jenesis Navarro scored 12 points, and Jayla Santa Maria hit two game-sealing free throws with 12 seconds remaining in the Friday win over Austin College.
The Bulldogs started the second half on a 10-2 run to pull away in a contest marred by offensive difficulties and turnovers.
Both teams struggled mightily offensively, Texas Lutheran matched a season low in scoring on 16-of-64 shooting. The previous low came in a 67-50 December loss to St. Ambrose. Despite their struggles, the Bulldogs led for the entire second half following a 26-all tie at halftime.
Texas Lutheran would trail by as many as six points in the first half, but a Kailey Lacy layup in the closing seconds of the second quarter would bring the game to a 26-all tie heading into halftime.
Texas Lutheran would force eight Austin College turnovers in each half led by Santa Maria’s two steals. Texas Lutheran would also benefit from bonus possessions on the glass partially due in part to the work from Tanyse Moehrig on the glass as she would collect 13 rebounds – six offensive and 11 total in the second half – to lead the Bulldogs in addition to her eight points.
Texas Lutheran would never fully pull away as Austin College kept the game competitive into the final seconds until Santa Maria stepped to the line and nailed two free throws to make the Bulldogs lead insurmountable.
Morgan Rodriguez led three Bulldogs in double figures with 19 points in Sunday’s Senior Day win over Centenary. The Bulldogs improved to 16-8 overall and 13-3 in the SCAC, while the Ladies fell to 4-18 overall and 2-12 in league play.
Rodriguez’s 19 points came on a 7-of-11 shooting effort highlighted by two three-pointers. She also added a pair of rebounds in the game.
Senior Jenesis Navarro joined Rodriguez in double figures with 10 points and a team-high four assists. Kailee Mulkey finished with 10 points as well.
Texas Lutheran would lead the Ladies wire-to-wire as they would jump out to a 14-4 lead to start the first period with 10 points coming from seniors Rodriguez and Navarro. Texas Lutheran would extend their lead in the second quarter as head coach Troy Patterson attempted to utilize the entirety of his bench in the final home game of the season. The Bulldogs would lead 27-21 at the break.
Texas Lutheran would keep the defensive pressure on in the third quarter forcing six Ladies turnovers. The Bulldogs would have their own turnover issues, turning the ball over six times as well as the Ladies cut into the Bulldogs lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Rodriguez took over in the fourth quarter – scoring 10 points on perfect 4-of-4 shooting as a part of the Bulldogs’ highest scoring quarter of the evening. The Ladies would get as close as one-point with 8:23 remaining but would never over take the Bulldogs.
Prior to the game, Texas Lutheran honored its four seniors – Rodriguez, Navarro, Santa Maria, and Jovanna Adame – recognizing their accomplishments and thanking them for their contributions to the program.
Up next, Texas Lutheran awaits their opponent in the SCAC Tournament. After an extremely rough stretch to close the season, Texas Lutheran gets a chance to breathe as they observe their first round bye. The Bulldogs will face the winner of Friday’s Colorado College-Southwestern game on Saturday at 7 PM in Sherman, Texas. All streaming and stat links can be found on tlubulldogs.com.