It may have taken some extra years off the lives of Tiger fans. Still, the Colorado College women's basketball team is headed to the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship for the third straight season after a Saturday night thriller in Shreveport, LA. 
 
The No. 3 seeded Tigers downed the No. 2 seeded Texas Lutheran Bulldogs 57-52. Despite the Bulldogs nearly erasing an 18-point halftime deficit, CC held on long enough to survive and advance to Championship Sunday. They will face the top-seeded Trinity Tigers at 1:00 p.m. MT. 
 
CC excelled offensively in the first half, shooting 60.56 percent from the floor while limiting the Bulldogs to only nine made shots through the first two quarters. The Tigers led 23-13 at the end of the first quarter and then scored an additional 16 points in the second quarter to build their halftime lead to 39-21. 
 
The Tigers made only one three-pointer in the first half, but the paint is where they thrived. Zoë Tomlinson led the team with 16 points in the first half. The New York native had a double-double by halftime, her 23rd on the season. 
 
In the third, the Bulldogs came out scorching and lit the scoreboard up with 19 points to the Tigers' eight, bringing the lead down to seven heading into the fourth quarter. 
 
With momentum on their side and the offensive starting to pick up, TLU was able to chip away at the lead even more and make it a one-possession game with 6:52 to play. A three-pointer by Isa Nelson finally stopped the run and brought CC's lead to 51-46. A couple of free throws by Tomlinson made it a seven-point game with three minutes left. 
 
The Bulldogs responded with consecutive buckets of their own, and a three-pointer with 1:03 left made it a one-possession game yet again. However, the Tigers' defense held steadfast and kept the TLU scoreless on the final two possessions. Three more shots at the charity stripe from Audrey Bayston and Tomlinson sealed the victory and CC's third straight SCAC Championship appearance. 
 
Tomlinson led the way with 22 points, 15 rebounds, four assists, a block and two steals. Bayston added an excellent 17 points, one board and three assists. Rose Koehler finished the night with eight points, six rebounds and two assists. 
 
CC's win moves their record to 20-7 on the season, marking their first 20-win season since the 1980-81 season. It was also head coach Katherine Auguste's 100th career win at the helm. 
 
The Tigers will take on Trinity at 1:00 p.m. MT. CC will get the chance to avenge their prior two SCAC Championship appearances against Trinity that went the way of the opposition.