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During a thrilling, fast-paced first day of tournament play, an inspiring comeback by the Southern Virginia University women’s basketball team came up short 55-53 to Bates College in the first round of the NCAA Division III tournament on Friday night in Scranton, Pa.
It was the end of a record-breaking season for the Knights (26-3), who won their second consecutive USA South Athletic Conference title the previous weekend after going 16-0 in the conference.
The Knights, under the direction of sixth-year head coach Lynette Schroeder, got off to a sluggish start, making just two field goals in the opening quarter. SVU trailed by as many as 12 points in the first half, held back by a difficult stretch of shooting. Bates, meanwhile, felt right at home and looked very much like a team that made an appearance in the Sweet 16 last March. However, despite a 28-20 deficit at halftime, Southern Virginia wasn’t done yet.
Abigail Snyder led a surging SVU offense back to even the score with under two minutes left in the third quarter. Along with Alyssa Weiland, the two were scoring at will and combined for 25 points in the second half, putting the Knights on the cusp of their first tournament win since 2022. Their team defense also shined at key moments, leading to a 7-6 advantage in steals.
The Knights eventually claimed their first lead of the day at 4645, but Bates remained composed enough to dash the Knights’ hope of completing a massive comeback. Thanks to an off-balance layup with under 10 seconds left in regulation, Bates would move on to the second round, putting an end to one of the most decorated seasons in SVU women’s basketball history.
Weiland put together a strong performance in the final game of her collegiate career, contributing 15 points. Snyder scored 14 points in the second half, and posed as a huge all-around threat the entire game. She totaled 18 points, eight rebounds and five assists.
Sarah Hughes led Bates with a game-high 20 points and grabbed six rebounds, while Lily Brown scored 14 points.
Bates ended its season at 17-10 overall with a 70-49 loss to Scranton (28-1) in the second round on Saturday.
For more on this game and SVU women’s basketball, visit knightathletics. com.
