Christendom’s women’s basketball team finished as the runners-up in the New South Athletic Conference (NSAC) tournament, falling 70-67 in a heartbreaker to Carolina Christian. The game marked the team’s first loss in nearly two weeks, in a historic season that saw the team go 19-5.
The 2022-23 season was one for the ages for Christendom’s women’s basketball team. From an 8-game winning streak that saw the team go without a loss for over 50 days, to sophomore phenom Catherine Thomas earning her first conference MVP honors, the team dominated competition from the very beginning of their season back in November and never looked back.
Their hard work finally led them to the NSAC Tournament to close their regular season, with the team first taking on Apprentice in the semifinals. Both teams fought each other to an 11-11 stalemate in the first quarter before Christendom started to pull away, taking a 36-23 lead at the end of the first half. Christendom never gave up the lead the rest of the way, winning the semifinal matchup 67-44. Thomas led the team in points and rebounds once again, putting up an impressive 21-19 stat line in the game. Kate Walz and Miranda Keller had terrific games as well, with Walz scoring 19 points and Keller scoring 16 and making 16 rebounds as well.
Their win earned them a trip to the conference tournament final against Carolina Christian. Christendom took an early 15-8 lead in the first quarter, only to see the lead dwindle in the second. By the end of the first half, Christendom barely held on with a 31-30 lead. Carolina Christian, after a strong second quarter, came into the third with momentum, outscoring Christendom 20-12 to take a 50-43 lead. With their season on the line, Christendom gave their all in the fourth quarter, managing to outscore Carolina 24-20. Their efforts came up just short, however — Carolina won 70-67, ending Christendom’s five-game winning streak and their regular season. Thomas scored 29 and made 23 rebounds in the loss, while Keller scored 19 and made 12 rebounds.
The women’s basketball team finished their season with a 19-5 record, an MVP trophy for Thomas, multiple USCAA DII Player of the Week honors for Thomas and Keller, and a Coach of the Year honor for Mary Minick as well. The season was one of the best in the history of the women’s basketball program at Christendom — with the promise of even better to come.
For more information, visit christendomathletics.com.