The Lee University women's basketball team fell one win short of the program's third National Christian College Athletic Association Division I national championship with a 73-64 loss to Union University in the 2014 final Saturday afternoon at Winona Lake, Ind.
The outcome was a repeat of the NCCAA Mid-East Regional championship game a week earlier on Union's court in Jackson, Tenn., and left each team 25-6 for the season. Those were the Lady Flames' only losses in their last 20 games, and they won two close games against Union in the regular season.
Senior guard Hollie German scored 20 points to leave her Lee career record at 2,300, and the NCCAA player of the year also had a game-high six assists. Junior post Jenna Adams had 19 points and eight rebounds and senior Rachel Lockhart scored 10 points.
Union's Amy Philamlee led all scorers with 24 points, and LaTesa McLaughlin and Astrid Hutteman added 15 and 12. Philamlee and McLaughlin, the tournament MVP who hit a desperation 3-pointer that doubled Union's margin with 1:30 to go, had four assists apiece.
"That was a killer," Lee coach Marty Rowe said in a school release. "We did everything we could to defend, and she makes that shot.
The game was cleanly played with seven turnovers for Lee and nine for Union, but the winners shot 52.2 percent from the field while the Lady Flames shot 39.2 percent. The difference in 3-point shooting was 47.6 percent (10-of-21) to 22.7 percent (5-of-22). The Union reserves outscored Lee's 27-11.