HOLLAND, Mich. – Down by six with five minutes remaining Saturday night, Illinois Wesleyan would not let a national championship slip through its grasp.
Senior forward Olivia Lett scored 11 of her game-high 22 points during a final 16-1 run, as the Titans rallied to defeat previously unbeaten George Fox (Ore.), 57-48, at Hope College's DeVos Fieldhouse to win their first NCAA Division III women's basketball championship in school history.
Illinois Wesleyan, which got off to a 3-4 start in its first games, won 26 of its remaining 27 games to finish 29-5 on the season. George Fox, which won the 2009 Division III championship in Holland, finished 33-1.
"It's unbelievable. You can't ask for a better way to finish out your career, to finish out your senior year," said Lett, who was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. "I couldn't ask for a better group of teammates to be with."
George Fox, which lost 6-foot-5 junior center Hannah Munger to a knee injury seven minutes into the game, had battled back from a seven-point deficit midway through the second half with a 13-0 run, fueled by All-American forward Keisha Gordon, to take a 47-41 lead with 5:04 remaining.
But Lett brought the Titans back, hitting a pair of jumpers and a free throw to begin their decisive run. Karen Solari's two free throws with 2:20 remaining tied the score at 48-all.
Then, with 1:06 remaining, junior guard Melissa Gardner nailed a 3-pointer from just left of the top of the key to put the Titans ahead to stay, 51-48.
"I was left wide open. I knew I had to shoot," said Gardner, who set a IWU single-season record for 3-pointers this year. "With encouragement from coach and my teammates, I knew it had to go up."
Illinois Wesleyan's relentless pressure defense took over from there, forcing several missed shots in the final minute. Meanwhile, Lett sank six consecutive free throws to seal the championship.
"There wasn't a moment in the ball game where I felt we wouldn't be the national champion when the buzzer sounded," Titans' coach Mia Smith said. "Even when we were down four, down five, there was not a drop of fear on the bench. That's been that way all season. It's reminiscent of every time we stepped on that floor."
George Fox started strongly, as the Bruins' 2-3 zone defense confounded Illinois Wesleyan in the early going. The Bruins reeled off the game's first nine points before Colleen McMahon's jumper with 14:27 left in the first half put the Titans on the scoreboard.
Munger, who scored a career-high 36 points in Friday's semifinal win over Amherst, Mass., was injured two minutes later while battling Lett for a rebound.
"I went for a rebound and stepped the wrong way, and (Lett) felt fell on me. I didn't feel so good (after that)," said Munger, who had grabbed four rebounds in the five minutes she played.
George Fox hung tough initially without its main post player, leading 21-12 on a Jami Roos jumper with eight minutes left in the first half.
But the Titans caught fire, running off 16 unanswered points, and went to the locker room at halftime with a 28-22 lead.
"There's an emotional toll when you lose a great kid and a great player," George Fox coach Michael Meek said. "Illinois Wesleyan is a great team. They played hard and were the better team tonight."
Each team shot 32 percent from the field, with George Fox making one more field goal (17-16). The Titans made 20 of 23 from the free-throw line, led by Lett's 11 of 12, while the Bruins made 13 of 21. Illinois Wesleyan made 5 of 15 from 3-point range and limited George Fox to 1 of 16 from beyond the arc.
Lett was the only Titan in double figures. Gardner and Lexi Baltes added eight points each. Gordon, who was one of four remaining players from George Fox's 2009 national title team, led the Bruins with 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
It was the second-lowest scoring Division III women's championship game in the 31-year history of the tournament. In 1984, Rust (Miss.) edged Elizabethtown (Pa.), 51-49.
"I went for a rebound and stepped the wrong way, and (Lett) felt fell on me. I didn't feel so good (after that)," said Munger, who had grabbed four rebounds in the five minutes she played.
George Fox hung tough initially without its main post player, leading 21-12 on a Jami Roos jumper with eight minutes left in the first half.
But the Titans caught fire, running off 16 unanswered points, and went to the locker room at halftime with a 28-22 lead.
"There's an emotional toll when you lose a great kid and a great player," George Fox coach Michael Meek said. "Illinois Wesleyan is a great team. They played hard and were the better team tonight."
Each team shot 32 percent from the field, with George Fox making one more field goal (17-16). The Titans made 20 of 23 from the free-throw line, led by Lett's 11 of 12, while the Bruins made 13 of 21. Illinois Wesleyan made 5 of 15 from 3-point range and limited George Fox to 1 of 16 from beyond the arc.
Lett was the only Titan in double figures. Gardner and Lexi Baltes added eight points each. Gordon, who was one of four remaining players from George Fox's 2009 national title team, led the Bruins with 17 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
It was the second-lowest scoring Division III women's championship game in the 31-year history of the tournament. In 1984, Rust (Miss.) edged Elizabethtown (Pa.), 51-49.
Besides Lett, the all-tournament team included Gordon, Munger, Amherst's Caroline Stedman and St. Thomas' Maggie Weiers.