WAVERLY, Iowa - Mady Burdett led all scorers with 16 points, Kaylie McCracken dropped a double double with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds and the No. 10 Whitman College women's basketball team took down No. 5 Wartburg with a thrilling 67-63 comeback win in the second round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament.

The Blues advance to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2017, marching on to a pod that includes Oglethorpe University, Trine University and Bowdoin College. The dates and sites of next weekend's tournament play is still to be determined.

Tori Hazard led Wartburg with 15 points and Emma Gerdes added 13 points and six rebounds.

For the second straight day, Whitman erased a double digit deficit in the second half, today against one of the top teams in the nation and on its home court no less. After hanging around in the first half, Whitman caught a wave of momentum in the third quarter and lit up the gym in the fourth quarter, outscoring the Knights by 11 points and hitting all eight of its free throws.

Trailing by eight points midway through the fourth quarter, Whitman's shots began to fall as Taylor Chambers and Burdett both connected from downtown to shave the Knight lead to one point with 2:51 to play. McCracken then hit a pair of clutch free throws to put the Blues up by one with 1:22 remaining.

Hazard came up with a clutch basket for Wartburg on the other end, getting into the paint and laying the ball in to regain the lead for the Knights. Burdett was then fouled with 16 seconds left and went to the line to shoot arguably the biggest free throws of her Whitman career. Spoiler alert, she nailed them both and put the Blues back up by one.

Lily Gustafson made the play of the game on Wartburg's last true possession, blocking Payton Drapers layup attempt to all but seal the win and lift her team into the Round of 16.

It was a tight opening to the game as points were at a premium. The Knights scored on their first two possessions but both defenses were on display for much of the quarter. Whitman went without a basket for nearly seven minutes but Katie Stahl, after hitting two foul shots, scored on a layup to tie the game at 9-9. 

The quarter would end on an offensive spurt by Wartburg. Kaitlyn Volesky hit on a jumper to spark a 9-0 run to end the quarter and put her team up 18-9.

The second quarter saw the Wartburg lead tinker around double digits for much of the 10 minutes. Amanda Brainerd scored on Wartburg's first possession but Burdett responded with a triple to cut the lead to eight points. Burdett again connected from three to make it a 22-15 game. 

Macy Hampton then came alive, scoring all seven of her points in the second quarter. Scoring on a driving layup then hitting a three pointer of her own, she helped the Blues take only an eight-point deficit into the locker room.

Whitman found the stroke in the third quarter, shooting 64% from the field and 50% from beyond the arc. The Blues still trailed, and did so by 10 points after a Volesky layup put Wartburg up 43-33 with 4:32 to play in the quarter. The Blues kept at it though and rode their hot shooting into the fourth.