SAINT PETER, Minn. (WLCSports.com) - Wisconsin Lutheran College pushed No. 5 host Gustavus Adolphus to the brink, but fell short in overtime, 61-49, on Friday in a NCAA Tournament First Round game at Gus Young Court.

The Warriors (21-8), who made their 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, matched up against a Top 25 opponent for the sixth time this season.

WLC jumped out to a 6-0 lead over the Gusties two minutes into the first quarter and held an 8-2 advantage at the 6:36 mark after a layup from junior Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.). Wisconsin Lutheran missed its next seven shot attempts of the quarter and GAC took a 12-8 lead after the opening period.

The Warriors were unable to connect on any of their first nine shot attempts of the second quarter, as they trailed 16-8 with 4:03 remaining. A layup from Hill snapped a near 12-minute scoring drought for WLC, which trailed 18-10 with 2:33 left before halftime. Wisconsin Lutheran closed out the final minutes of the half on a 7-2 scoring spurt, including five points from freshman Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.), to trail 20-17 at the break.

The Warriors trailed by five points early in the third quarter, but a three from senior Kara Troxel (Bonduel, Wis.) and a layup from senior Janiyah Goner (Milwaukee, Wis.) evened the game at 22-22. WLC grabbed its first lead since the early stages of the game, 27-25, after layups from Hill and Troxel at the 4:49 mark. Another layup from Cole sent the lead to 29-26 with 4:11 left, before the score was tied four more times before the quarter came to a close deadlocked at 33-33.

A 7-0 run two-and-a-half minutes into the fourth quarter gave Wisconsin Lutheran a 43-38 lead. Shortly after, a three from Troxel with four minutes left pushed the margin to six points at 46-40. The Warriors still held a 47-44 lead with 1:33 left and that score still stood with under 0:30 seconds to play. Gustavus Adolphus tied the game at 47-47 with a three-pointer with 0:19 seconds remaining and neither team was able to take advantage of late scoring chances as the contest was sent to overtime.

Both teams exchanged points in the first two minutes of the extra session, as the score was tied 49-49 with 3:30 left. The Gusties closed out the final 3:09 on a 12-0 scoring run and WLC was held without a field goal for the entire extra fame, as the hosts pulled away for the first round win.

Hill led Wisconsin Lutheran with 15 points, a game-high 10 rebounds, and three steals for her fourth double-double of the season. Troxel was the second player in double figures with 13 points. Cole and sophomore Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.) finished with seven points apiece, with Stevens collecting five rebounds. Wisconsin Lutheran shot 34.5 percent (19-for-55) for the game.

Emma Kniefel scored a game-high 20 points to lead four players in double figures for GAC (27-1), which shot 37.7 percent (20-for-53) from the floor. Gustavus Adolphus advances to host No. 12 Wartburg on Saturday in a NCAA Tournament Second Round matchup.

The Warriors wrap up their 2024-2025 season with a 21-8 overall record to clinch their 13th 20-plus win season in program history.