SAINT PETER, Minn. – No. 8/12 women's basketball fell to No. 5/6 Gustavus College 56-50 in the second round of the Division III Championships on Saturday, Mar. 8. The Knights close the 2024-25 season with an overall record of 26-3.
 
Game Summary

• First Half
  • First Quarter
    • Sara Faber scored the first basket of the game with a floater and then Lauren Woeste followed it with a basket in the paint to make the score 4-0 after two and a half minutes of play
    • Gustavus scored the next six points to take a 6-4 lead with 5:26 left to play
    • Trailing by four points, Britney Young nailed a three pointer and then Faber got a steal and scored on the other end to give Wartburg a 9-8 lead
    • The Gusties scored the next five points to retake the lead before Grace Hennessy made a three pointer to stop the run
      • Jaedon Murphy made two free throws to end the quarter and make the score 15-14, Gustavus in front, after one quarter
  • Second Quarter
    • Woeste scored the first basket of the third quarter and then Natalie Bearbower connected for three to put Wartburg ahead 19-15 after just over one minute
    • The Gusties answered and retook the lead 20-19 after two free throws with 5:22 left in the first half
    • Faber made a three to give Wartburg a 22-20 lead, but Gustavus again answered quickly and tied the game
    • Woeste scored four points in the final three minutes of the half, but Gustavus outscored the Knights 9-4 to take a 31-26 lead into the break
• Second Half
  • Third Quarter
    • Lauren Donlea and Young both made three pointers for the Knights in the first three minutes of the second half to cut the deficit to 35-32
      • Less than a minute later, Faber tied the game at 35 with a three pointer of her own
    • Gustavus answered with a score and a free throw to go back up by three points, but two Hennessy free throws brought the Gustavus lead back down to one
    • Faber made two free throws before the end of the third to put the Knights ahead 39-38 after three quarters of play
  • Fourth Quarter
    • Faber and Murphy each scored two points to begin the fourth quarter and Wartburg led 43-40
    • A Gusties three pointer cut the Knights' lead to 45-44 with 6:19 left in the game
    • Gustavus went on a 5-1 run over the next thee minutes to take a 49-46 lead
    • Following a Gustie layup to push the lead to five, Wartburg got right back in the game with scores from Faber and Murphy that made the score 51-50
    • Gustavus was able to keep the Knights from scoring in the final minute to secure a 56-50 win

Top Performers

• Sara Faber
  • 17 points
  • Six rebounds
  • Two steals
  • One assist
• Jaedon Murphy
  • Eight points
  • Seven rebounds
  • Four assists
• Lauren Woeste
  • Eight points
  • Three steals
  • Two rebounds
• Britney Young
  • Six points
  • Four steals
  • One rebound

Press Conference

• First NCAA Tournament matchup between these programs
  • The all-time series is 10-9 in favor of Gustavus
• Sara Faber has broken the record for steals in a single season with 86 this season
  • Already the school record holder for steals in a career
• Sixth season since 2016-17 with 25 or more wins for Wartburg
• Ninth straight NCAA appearance for the Knights
  • Wartburg's senior class played in 13 total NCAA Tournament games over five seasons
• Young recorded four steals in both the first and second round