EFSC women's basketball loses in NJCAA National Tournament semifinal

Michael Parsons
·2 min read
EFSC women's basketball defeated Walter's State College on Thursday March 23, 2023.
EFSC women's basketball defeated Walter's State College on Thursday March 23, 2023.

The Eastern Florida State College women’s basketball team suffered heartbreak as Trinity Valley’s Makiyah McCollister hit a shot with .2 seconds remaining, eliminating the Titans from the NJCAA Division I National Tournament semifinals Sunday night.

EFSC lost 71-70 at Lubbock Christian University in Texas.

The No. 2 seed Titans finished the season a program-best 33-2.

Trinity Valley Community College made an 8-0 run to end the first quarter to head into the second quarter leading 17-12. They extended the lead to 11 with 5:25 remaining in the second quarter before Elli Garnett took over the game.

The sophomore from Golden, Colorado, scored 13 of her game-high 28 points in the second quarter as the Titans stormed back to within four at halftime, trailing 33-29.

The Trinity Valley lead disappeared in the third quarter as the Titans outscored Trinity Valley 23-12 in the quarter and led by seven heading into the fourth.

The lead remained until Trinity Valley went on a 13-3 run in a span of three minutes to cut the Titans lead to one, 67-66.

But once again Garnett hit a big 3-pointer to give the Titans a bit of room. But some missed free throws down the stretch and untimely turnovers gave Trinity Valley a chance with 6.2 seconds to play in the game.

McCollister, who finished with just seven points, hit the biggest shot with 0.2 seconds remaining. The Titans were not able to get a shot off before the buzzer, ending the historic season.

Garnett also had 10 rebounds in the game, recording her second double-double of the postseason. Amelia Hassett also had a big game for the Titans with 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and Leilani Guion had 13 points in her final game as a Titan. Isimenme Ozzy-Momodu grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds and had seven points.

Eastern Florida State College won the FCSAA Region VIII Championship for the first time in school history and was the No. 2 seed for the national tournament. The Titans made it to the quarterfinal round last season and went a step further this season with the semifinal appearance.

Trinity Valley will play No. 8 seed Northwest Florida State College Monday night in the national championship game at 9 p.m. EDT on ESPNU.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: EFSC women's basketball loses in NJCAA National Tournament semifinal