Conway, Ark. - Hendrix's postseason run on its home floor ended on Sunday afternoon with a 55-44 loss to Austin College in the SCAC Championship game.
Chloey-Rei Brown scored a game-high 19 points in her championship debut, and
Bella Cates dropped 12 points and 3 three-pointers in her final game as a Warrior. The newly-announced SCAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year
Riley Brady recorded 12 rebounds but was limited to just 6 points on the afternoon.
Brailey Forst began the game with an and-one opportunity and converted from the stripe to give Hendrix an early 3-0 lead. Brown's jumper on the next possession put the Warriors up 5-2, but a 7-2 run by the 'Roos to close the quarter sent them into the second frame with a 9-7 advantage.
Hendrix owned the second quarter decisively, out-scoring Austin College 20-12 over that ten-minute span. Brady and Brown kicked off the period with back-to-back jumpers. Brown scored 6 of the first 10 points of the quarter, and after the 'Roos took a 19-17 lead with three minutes to play in the opening half,
Bella Cates restored Hendrix's advantage with her first triple of the afternoon. Brown then took over once again, scoring the next 6 points to give Hendrix an 8-point lead. The 'Roos got one bucket back before the half to cut the lead to six going into intermission.
The two sides went back-and-forth in the third quarter, with the 'Roos starting to find their footing on both ends. Hendrix managed just 7 points in the third frame, with just 4 of those points coming from the floor. Austin College closed the quarter on an 11-1 run to tie the contest heading into the final quarter, and any momentum they gathered from that run carried into the fourth. The 'Roos completely shut down Hendrix offensively while scoring 21 points in the final frame. Hendrix shot just 20.0% from the field in that time, with Cates' late triples giving the Warriors' their only sliver of hope to keep the game close down the stretch. But it was the 'Roos who ultimately prevailed, preventing Hendrix from mounting any sort of comeback in the final minutes.
Despite Sunday's disappointing finish, there were several significant milestones set over the three-day event. To go along with the outstanding team achievements, Brady earned All-SCAC First Team honors and swept the league's major individual awards, including the SCAC's Elite 19 award, which is given to the women's basketball player who best exemplifies academic and athletic excellence. Brown's 69 total points across the three tournament games ranks second all-time in the SCAC for a tournament stretch, while Brady's 56 total rebounds smashed the previous record of 42 set back in 2012.
The loss put an end to Hendrix's wonderful 2025-26 season.
Wes Sullivan's squad pulled off a 17-10 record, with the 17 wins being their most since the 2017-18 season. Sunday's Championship marked the Warriors' first appearance back in the SCAC Championship game since 2011 after upsetting the top-seeded Colorado College Tigers on Saturday evening.
