The Saint Elizabeth Women's Basketball team had been here before. Last season, on February 22, 2023, the Eagles were defeated 66-52 in the CSAC championship game by Notre Dame of Maryland University on the road. This time, the Eagles would flip the script in a thrilling 68-55 victory of the top-seeded Gators. With the win, Saint Elizabeth Women's Basketball earns its first championship in program history and improves to 22-5 on the season. The Gators end their season with a 20-7 record overall.


The Eagles jumped on the Gators early in the first quarter, racing out to an early 9-0 lead. However, the Gators would get back on track, scoring midway through the quarter. The Eagles closed the opening quarter on an 8-0 run, leading 17-6 heading to the second quarter. Saint Elizabeth continued to pull away in the second quarter, taking a 15-point lead with 5:30 to play until the half. Notre Dame would convert an And 1 layup and a jumper to cut the Eagles lead down to 8 points at the half. Notre Dame made a run midway through the third quarter, trying to close within striking distance. At the 1:56 mark in the third quarter the Gators trailed by only 1 point. However, Saint Elizabeth responded by going on a 5-2 run to end the quarter, leading 44-40 heading into the fourth. Early in the final quarter was when the Eagles began to pull away, going on a 10- run to build a 13-point lead. The Gators would try to make a final push but were not able to stop the Eagles. Saint Elizabeth scored a blistering 24 points in the fourth quarter to secure the victory.


"My girls fought hard every minute the clock was ticking," said head women's basketball coach Trey Bailey Strothers. "They bought into a game plan and scheme we haven't used all year and executed it perfectly tonight. On top of that, they know we've lost to Notre Dame several times when we had the lead and they stormed back. Our heart, hustle, and mental toughness showed that we weren't going to let that happen again. The SEU Women's Basketball family deserves this one!"


Freshman guard Mya Davis led all scorers with 20 points on 5 of 10 shooting. Junior guard Yasminah White tallied 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 steals. Junior guard Destiny Battle registered a double-double with 10 points, 13 assists, 5 rebounds, and 4 steals. Sophomore guard Ahjionae Cobb chipped in with 8 points and 2 rebounds off the bench. Junior forwards Paige Neal and Laila Kendle led the Eagles on the boards with 8 rebounds and 7 rebounds respectively. A key stat in the game was the Eagles out-shooting the Gators from behind the three point line. The Eagles went 8 for 20 from three while the home team Gators struggled shooting 1 for 13 on the night.

The Eagles will now move on to the United East Championship game on Saturday February 24. Saint Elizabeth will take on Penn State Harrisburg for an NCAA tournament bid. Tip-off time is scheduled for 2pm at Saint Joseph Hall in Morristown, NJ.