#1 Indiana Tech Wins WHAC WBB Tournament Championship
FORT WAYNE, Ind. - Top-seeded Indiana Tech Women's Basketball completed its perfect season in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC) play on Monday night in the WHAC Tournament championship game, downing #2 seed Siena Heights 58-53. Indiana Tech was 22-0 in regular season play and 3-0 in WHAC tournament action to claim its fifth tournament title in the last six seasons. Despite the loss, it's not the end of the line for Siena Heights who earned the second autobid to the NAIA National Championships by way of their trip to the finals. The Saints are now 27-4 on the season and finished 20-2 in WHAC play.
It was a defensive battle for much of the contest with only one double-digit lead all evening which came early in the third quarter. Despite that, there were only three lead changes in a game that Indiana Tech was in control of, but Siena Heights always managed to keep it within a handful of possessions.
Indiana Tech took a 32-24 lead into the break and stretched that lead to 11 points at the 9:07 mark in the third quarter. However, a six-minute scoreless draught between the two teams, stretching the final three minutes of the third and into the fourth quarter, brought the scoring to a hault. When the scoring draught slowed, however, Siena Heights began to chip away at the lead, cutting it to one with just over three minutes left in the game. On a night where both teams struggled from range, it was two clutch three balls from the Warriors that ultimately made the difference with Bethany Worm and Juliana Burris hitting them on back-to-back possessions to make it 56-49 with 1:54 remaining. A made free throw from WHAC Player of the Year Erika Foy with 4 seconds left locked it up and gave Indiana Tech the 58-53 victory.
Erika Foy and Genevieve Decker each scored 11 points and Foy added nine rebounds. Taylor Covington poured in 10 along with four assists. Juliana Burris scored nine and Korry Smith and Bethany Worm each added seven. For Siena Heights, E'Anna Won led the way with 14 points followed by Jillian Gelso with 11 and Jakarri Alven with 10.
Both teams now wait to find out where they will be traveling for NAIA National Champoinship Opening Round action. The NAIA Selection Show is live-streamed on the NAIA YouTube Channel on Thursday, March 7th at 8:00 PM.
All-Time WHAC (seed) Tournament Champions
1992-93: Unknown
1993-94: (2) Spring Arbor
1994-95: (2) Tri-State
1995-96: Unknown
1996-97: Unknown
1997-98: Unknown
1998-99: (1) Spring Arbor
1999-2000: (2) Aquinas
2000-01: (3) Cornerstone
2001-02: (2) Cornerstone
2002-03: (5) Madonna
2003-04: (1) Cornerstone
2004-05: (1) Cornerstone
2005-06: (2) Davenport
2006-07: (3) Cornerstone
2007-08: (3) Aquinas
2008-09: (2) Cornerstone
2009-10: (1) Davenport
2010-11: (1) Davenport
2011-12: (1) Davenport
2012-13: (1) Davenport
2013-14: (1) Davenport
2014-15: (1) Davenport
2015-16: (1) Davenport
2016-17: (1) Davenport
2017-18: (6) Cornerstone
2018-19: (1) Indiana Tech
2019-20: (1) Indiana Tech
2020-21: (2) Indiana Tech
2021-22: (1) Indiana Tech
2022-23: (3) Rochester
2023-24: (1) Indiana Tech