BILLINGS, Mont. – The Martin Methodist Women's Basketball team nearly pulled off one of the most improbable comebacks in national tournament history in a 75-69 loss to No. 3 seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) College Wednesday night in the first round of 2018 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball Championship presented by Wells Fargo.

Despite the fact they never led in the contest, the RedHawks (26-8) had all the momentum down the stretch in the heartbreaking loss. After a back-and-forth first quarter, Lindsey Wilson wrestled control of the contest and led by a 19-13 margin. The second quarter saw the lead swell to 16 at halftime, 39-23.

The lead then ballooned to 21 in the third quarter and it appeared as if the RedHawks were to be on the wrong end of a route.

But that's when the comeback began.

Down 46-25 with 8:27 left in the third, the RedHawks whittled away at the Lindsey Wilson lead and eventually trimmed it to within single digits at 58-50 by the end of the third.

In the fourth quarter, the RedHawks pulled within striking distance as the lead was whittled down just to five with 3:12 to play. The RedHawks had a chance to draw even closer, but a missed leaner saw possession fall back to Lindsey Wilson.

Erin Freeman knocked down a clutch 3-pointer with 1:57 on the clock to pull within four points, but that would be as close as the RedHawks drew in the frenetic final quarter.

Freeman delivered a strong performance in her national tournament debut as she scored 17 points with two massive 3-pointers.

Sophomore guard Brooklyn Blanchard poured in 20 points to lead the RedHawks in defeat. Blanchard also notched a team-best four steals.

Sophomore forward Lacey Reed scored 11 points and picked up four rebounds down low for the RedHawks, who were crushed on the glass by a much-taller Lindsey Wilson squad, 55-32.

Matched against one of the nation's premier scoring threats in Lindsey Wilson guard Kayla Styles, the RedHawks forced the Blue Raiders (26-7) to take tough shots in the second half.

Styles finished the game with 26 points, but needed 21 shots to do it. Styles had a massive double-double as she tracked down a whopping 21 rebounds. Styles went 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and had seven turnovers as the RedHawks forced 10 steals.

The loss ends the most successful season in Martin Methodist Women's Basketball history. The RedHawks finished with a program-best 26 victories and claimed the school's first-ever conference title with the regular-season SSAC championship.

The RedHawks say farewell to one senior, Jemia Carpenter. Nine of the current members of the RedHawk roster are freshman or sophomores.