NEW ORLEANS, La. –  The magical run that saw an undefeated regular season, a Southern States Athletic Conference Regular Season Championship, and a program best 26 wins, came to an end, as the #15 William Carey Women's Basketball Team fell to #21 Xavier University 72-47 in the second round of the NAIA National Championship.
 
"Congratulations to Xavier," said Head Coach Tracy English. "We had a hard time matching their energy today. We played hard but could never find a rhythm on the offensive side. I'm extremely proud of our team with what they were able to accomplish this year."
 
After opening misses by both teams, Shaneal Corpuz put Carey on the board with a jumper, but XULA followed with seven straight points to take a five-point lead after three minutes of play.
 
Kolten Blakeney broke the run with back-to-back jumpers and from there both teams went back and forth until the Gold Nuggets went on a 7-2 run to close the quarter to take a 16-10 lead.
 
The shooting troubles continued in the second quarter for the Lady Crusaders, as they were held without a field goal for the entire quarter while Xavier shot 65% from the floor to build a 37-15 lead at the break.
 
Corpuz broke the nearly 15-minute drought without a field goal for WCU in the opening seconds of the third quarter and from there Carey slowly fought their way to within 15 at 44-29 on back-to-back baskets by Rose Warren and Daydria Cuevas with four minutes remaining. Over the final minutes both teams traded shots with Warren hitting a three pointer at the buzzer to cut the deficit to 52-36 heading into the final quarter.
 
However, the Lady Crusaders would get no closer, as the Gold Nuggets opened the fourth quarter on an 11-0 run and Carey had no answer, as XULA pulled away to as many as 30 points down the stretch.
 
Shaneal Corpuz finished with 15 points with Kolten Blakeney adding 11 points.
 
WCU ends the season with an overall record of 26-2 and a 15-0 record in conference.