ALLEN – Tarleton knew coming into the Lone Star Conference tournament they had to win the championship to make the NCAA tournament.

To get there, they had to go through No. 1 seed West Texas A&M, a team they split the regular season series with and gave the Lady Buffs all they could handle in both games. Tonight's semifinal game was no different, but the TexAnns couldn't overcome a 15-point second-half deficit and saw their season come to an end with a 52-43 loss at the Allen Event Center. Tarleton finished with a 17-11 record.

The TexAnns struggled to find a groove offensively in the opening quarter after taking an early 5-2 lead and West Texas A&M closed the quarter on an 11-0 run. The TexAnns only managed 11 points in the first half and were down 24-11 at intermission.

But as they have done all season – and for the four TexAnns seniors, their whole careers – they found a way to get back into the game. Raven McGrath and Morgan Ashmore, both four-year guards for the TexAnns, got the momentum rolling in the third quarter with McGrath draining back-to-back 3-pointers and Ashmore following with one of her own to start the comeback attempt. Tarleton outscored WT 14-9 in the third quarter. McGrath scored a team-high 12 points and Ashmore added 11 points in their final game wearing the Purple and White.

Bailey Wipff connected on a deep 3-pointer at the top of the key as the shot clock was winding down to put the TexAnns within four points with 7:54 left in the game. The Lady Buffs would follow with a 7-0 run that Tarleton couldn't answer to as the TexAnns trailed by nine or more the rest of the way.

Senior forward Breanna Fuller scored 11 points and pulled down a team-high eight rebounds. The three seniors combined for 34 of Tarleton's 43 points. Tiara Tatum (3 points), Shelby Mankins (2), and Travanti Downes (1) rounded out the scoring.

Tarleton forced WT into 19 turnovers and the 52 points scored by the Lady Buffs tied a season low – both coming in games against the TexAnns.