#24/RV Bulldogs Fall Short in NCAA Tournament Second Round

MARSHALL, Texas -- Sarahi Jones (Los Fresnos/Los Fresnos) finished with 15 points to lead the Bulldogs and Kailee Mulkey (New Braunfels/New Braunfels) finished with 14 points and nine rebounds in her final game as a Bulldog, but No. 24/RV Texas Lutheran dropped a physical 66-63 NCAA Tournament Second Round matchup to McMurry Saturday night at Ornelas Gymnasium in Marshall, Texas.

Texas Lutheran finished its season with a 24-5 (.828) overall record for what is by any metric the best season in program history which included a 14-2 SCAC mark, the most wins since joining the conference in 2013-14, a SCAC Gold Division Co-Championship, and winning the 2025 SCAC Tournament. McMurry improved to 23-5 overall and advanced to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen next week.

All-SCAC guard Angelina Sotelo (San Marcos/San Marcos) added eight points, three rebounds, and three assists while fellow All-SCAC guard Lauren Sansano (San Antonio/FEAST) tallied seven points, five rebounds, and two assists. Juliana Tapia (San Antonio/O'Connor) led the Bulldogs bench with seven points, six rebounds, and two steals.

Despite leading for a majority of the period, TLU would trail the War Hawks 20-19 after the first quarter. The War Hawks would also win the second quarter 17-11 to carry a 37-30 lead into halftime.

The Bulldogs came out firing in the third, shooting 42 percent from the field and forcing eight turnovers to outscore McMurry 21-14 to tie the game, 51-51. Both teams would struggle from the floor in the fourth but the War Hawks would outlast the Bulldogs to win by three points.

Texas Lutheran outrebounded and forced more turnovers than the War Hawks but would shoot 31 percent from the floor compared to 41 percent from McMurry.

The Bulldogs will graduate seven seniors - Chaeli Criddle (Canyon Lake/FEAST), Juliana Tapia, Juliett Martinez (San Antonio/Reagan), Elexis Morado (Kingsville/Santa Gertrudis Academy), Kailee Mulkey, Audry Hornaday (Mission/Sharyland), and Irianna Rollins (Pflugerville/Hendrickson). They conclude their college careers with a 74-32 record and as 2025 SCAC Champions and NCAA Tournament qualifiers, becoming the first team in program history to win an NCAA Tournament game. The 2025 team also matched a program record with 327 steals on the season, previously set in 1991 and 2002. We thank them for all of their contributions to the Texas Lutheran women's basketball program.

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