MONTGOMERY, Ala. – With the shadows from the state capital stretching across the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl, No. 24 UT Southern took the floor in the SSAC Championship game against No. 25 William Carey, falling just short in a 62-58 thriller.
The Firehawks (22-6) and Crusaders struggled early, as neither could find the net and neither side led by more than five points all afternoon. UT Southern struck first on a Lauren Smith free throw and an Abbilyn Teter free throw before Ashley Dickey buried a three-pointer with 43 seconds left in the first quarter to knot the score at 7-7 after one.
The second quarter featured seven lead changes. Silkiari Vazquez-Troche attacked the paint for back-to-back scores, and Mia Jones provided a spark off the bench with a layup and two free throws. Dickey converted an old-fashioned three-point play in the final 30 seconds, and Mycala Carney knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to give UT Southern a 25-24 edge at the break.
Out of halftime, Vazquez-Troche continued to control the interior, scoring on multiple drives and converting key free throws. Ramie Reid added a pair from the stripe and Dickey finished a fastbreak layup to keep the Firehawks within a possession. Vazquez-Troche's free throws in the closing seconds of the third quarter pushed UT Southern in front 43-42 heading into the final period.
The Firehawks extended their advantage to five early in the fourth when Reid scored inside and Marypaz Martinez finished a layup off a Vazquez-Troche assist. Vazquez-Troche then added two more free throws to maintain the cushion.
The game's biggest momentum shift came midway through the fourth quarter following a Crusader turnover. As UT Southern looked to capitalize, a loose ball foul was called that took a possession away from the Firehawks — and the sequence proved costly. The whistle resulted in Lauren Smith picking up her fifth foul, sending her to the bench and shifting both the energy in the building and the flow of the game at a critical moment.
Dickey responded with a driving layup and free throw to trim the deficit to one, and Emma Bryant calmly sank two free throws with 1:27 left to tie the game at 56-56.
Vazquez-Troche delivered again in the closing seconds with a strong finish at the rim to cut the margin to 60-58 with 20 seconds left, but William Carey sealed the game at the free-throw line in the final moments.
Vazquez-Troche led UT Southern with 22 points on 7-of-14 shooting and 8-of-11 from the free-throw line, adding six rebounds, three assists, and a block in 40 minutes. Dickey followed with 15 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Reid chipped in seven points, seven rebounds, and two blocks.
Jones added four points and two rebounds off the bench, and Bryant contributed two clutch free throws in the final minute.
The Firehawks will now await the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship Selection Show on March 5 to learn their postseason fate. Fans can watch the selection show at https://www.naia.org/sports/wbkb/index.
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