UPDATE: Sophomore Shaquita Lee was named to the 2019 Region IV Division III All-Tournament Team after the championship game on Monday night.
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PALATINE, ILL. - A fast start to their postseason opener did not hold up as the Madison College women's basketball team lost 67-54 to Elgin Community College in Saturday's NJCAA Region IV Division III Tournament Semifinal at Harper College. The second-seeded WolfPack was outscored in each of the final three quarters by the third-seeded Spartans, who advance to play top-seeded Rock Valley College in the Region IV title game. The loss marks the third consecutive season in which the 'Pack has come up a game short of playing for a championship, and snaps a five-year streak of 20-win seasons with a final record of 19-8.

Madison College, which entered the postseason with a two-game win streak and victories in seven of its last eight games, trailed 7-5 in the first three minutes, but scored nine straight points capped by an Aniah Williams old-fashioned three-point play to take a 14-7 advantage. The WolfPack took a 20-14 lead into the second quarter and pushed it to a double-digit differential with two quick baskets. Elgin Community College (23-8) slowed chipped away throughout the quarter, and by halftime had narrowed the score to 32-31. After a Shaquita Lee layup started the second half, the Spartans tied the game and took the lead for good with back-to-back bucket. Down eight late in the third, Lee buried one of her three 3-pointers in the game to make it a 51-45 deficit heading to the fourth. Williams drained her only successful long range basket with four minutes and 34 seconds remaining to once again bring the score within five, however, it would be the final basket scored by Madison College. The WolfPack missed the final seven shots and committed three turnovers as Elgin finished with a 8-0.

Lee, a sophomore guard from Madison, Wisconsin, paced the WolfPack with 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three steals. She converted 10 of 26 shots, went 3 for 11 from beyond the arc, and sank 2 of 3 free throws. It's the fourth game in which Lee has posted the most points on the team, and after joining the squad at the semester break, she finishes with averages of 23.0 points, 9.4 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 4.3 steals over her 14 games.

Williams, from Beloit, Wisconsin, tallied 13 points, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, and one block. The 5'8" freshman guard scored in double-figures in every game this season, with Saturday's final tally marking her second lowest output of the season. Williams went 4 for 10 from the field and 1 of 5 from distance, while also knocking down 4 of 6 free throws. Her final season averages are 22.1 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.3 steals, and 1.9 assists.

Four other players scored for Madison College, including sophomores Caitlyn Gilbertson and Tianna Sackett with eight and two points, respectively, in their final game with the WolfPack. For the game, the 'Pack was 20 of 48 (41%) overall, 4 of 18 (22%) from three-point territory, and 10 of 17 (58%) at the stripe. Elgin converted 39% overall, 36% from three, and 77% at the line. Madison College owned a 34-30 edge in total rebounds, but committed 27 turnovers - their most since losing at Triton College on January 19 - to just 15 for the Spartans. Elgin took advantage with a 24-6 edge in points off turnovers.

Madison College is now 0-1 against Elgin CC in postseason matchups, while still owning a 5-2 lead in the all-time series after having their four-game win streak in head-to-head matchups snapped with a split of two games in 2018-19. The Spartans advanced to play top-seeded Rock Valley College, who defeated #4-seed Joliet Junior College by a 77-69 final on Saturday. The championship game will be played Monday, February 25 at 5:00 p.m. after being delayed due to a power outage on Sunday. The Region IV All-Tournament Team will be announced following the game.



2019 NJCAA Region IV Division III Women's Basketball Tournament

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