NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Trevecca Nazarene University women's basketball team (19-9) lost 80-76 to Kentucky Wesleyan College (21-8) in the 2014 Great Midwest Athletic Conference Championship Game.

It was the second year in a row for the Trojans to host the G-MAC tournament after winning the regular season title, unfortunately the Trojans have lost in the championship game each time.

Though Trevecca held a 13-point lead, the game spent most of its time with one or the other team ahead by low a single digit.

After the Panthers scored the first basket, Trevecca worked their way back and took a 9-6 lead just before the first media timeout. KWC picked up their largest margin of the half when they took a 16-11 lead with 10:28 remaining in the half. Trevecca pushed the tide back in their favor and led by six (23-17), the largest lead of the half for either team, at the 6:25 mark when Kaci Britt Bell scored on a layup, capping a 12-1 run.

A pair of Karly Rhoads free throws cut the Trojan lead to just two point with 4:51 left in the half. Trevecca surged ahead again to lead by 12 points (34-22) when Christina Curtner scored on a layup with 2:10 remaining. Trevecca led 36-27 at the break.

Trevecca held a double-digit lead early in the second half and led by 11 (47-36) with 15:22 to go. The Panthers began to chip away and actually took a one-point lead (52-51) on a T'Essence Phelps three pointer wtih10:50 to go.

Trevecca regained the lead on a pair of Anna Mitchell free throws, but would never lead again. Mitchell did tie the game (55-55) on a jumper with 10:11 to go, but when Erin Dorn scored on a layup a little more than a minute later, the Panthers would led the rest of the way. Trevecca held the Panthers close, never letting them get ahead by more than five, but could never tie the game or regain the lead.

The Panthers sank enough free throws down the stretch to hold off the Trojans 80-76 and denied the Trojans the G-MAC championship at home for the second year in a row.

The Trojans lost for just the second time in their last 15 games. The game lived up to the history of the series between the Panthers and Trojans. Each of the five games played between the two schools, all in the last two years, have been decided by four points or less. Trevecca holds an edge 3-2 in the series. The four-point margin was an overtime win by the Panthers in Owensboro, Ky. The two regular season meetings this year were Trevecca wins (65-62 @TNU, 61-60 @KWC).  

Trevecca senior Anna Mitchell left it all on the floor of the Trojan Fieldhouse. In her last game she scored a team-high 24 points and grabbed seven rebounds. Mitchell hit 8-of-16 from the field and 8-of-9 from the foul line.  Christina Curtner added 17 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double. Curtner also added a team-high five assists. Sarah Raby scored 11.

Rachel Bollinger, also a senior, did not play much of the season due to an injury, but it was her final time with the team as well. Bollinger, though she hasn't played, has remained visibly with the team at practice and helping the team during the games.

Bollinger scored 430 career points and shot 34% from three-point range during her career. She had a career average of 5.9 point per game and 3.6 rebounds per game. She had a total of 130 steals in only 73 games played.

Anna Mitchell's career concluded with 980 career points and 474 rebounds. She averaged 8.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

As a team Trevecca shot 44% (27-61) from the field while hitting just 2-of-11 from three-point range. The team hit 80% (20-25) from the foul line and outrebounded KWC 39-30.

KWC shot 52% (27-52) from the field and 40% (6-15) from three-point range while knocking down 71% (20-28) from the foul line. The Panthers hit 5-of-8 from three-point range in the second half after hitting just one of seven attempts in the first half, they also hit 14-of-16 from the charity stripe in the second half.  

Trevecca outscored KWC 42-34 in the paint and 13-4 on second chance points. The Panthers had a 27-13 edge in bench scoring, fueled by eight points from Bria Wright. Wright, who had hit just one three-pointer all season and had only scored 29 points on the year was 2-for-2 from three-point range and added two rebounds and a steal during the critical rally by the Panthers.

Gary Van Atta concludes his ninth season at Trevecca with a 190-93 overall record and 95-41 conference record. In G-MAC conference play alone he is now 21-3 in the first two seasons. At four-year colleges his record is 463-252 and all told, he is 592-305 as a coach of high school and college teams.