BIRMINGHAM – The Kentucky State University women's basketball team had its magical run through the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament end with a 44-42 loss Saturday to #4W Lane College in the Bill Harris Arena.

With the loss, a season beset by injuries and other adverse conditions ended with a 16-14 record. For head coach Terrance Slater, it was another step forward for his program. After falling in the 2018 semifinals, the Thorobreds moved a step closer to bringing home the championship.

It was meeting that featured a pair of teams that thrived on their defense, Kentucky State in the half court and Lane in the full court. The defensive acumen was ever present as the contest went to the first media timeout with only two points scored.

Eventually the teams were able find a little traction offensively, and the Dragons led by four at the end of the first quarter. As the second quarter began, you could sense Kentucky State gaining confidence and getting comfortable with what Lane wanted to accomplish, and with a jumper from senior Brooke Wallace (Oberlin, OH) – KSU led by one at the break.

The basket seemed to ignite the Thorobreds as Kentucky State came out of the locker room and scored 11 of the first 13 points in the third quarter. With the run, KSU had the game's biggest lead, 25-15.

However, Lane turned to its full court pressure, and quickly got back into the game. In a three-minute span, the Dragons pulled to within one. And the KSU lead was the single point going into the final 10-minute quarter.

The teams traded the lead six times over the first seven minutes before a minute-long 6-0 spurt had KSU on the brink. However, a team that came in as the lowest seed in the tournament with wins over a one, two and three seed, wasn't ready to go down without a fight.

A Wallace layup got KSU within four, and then forced a Lane turnover. They had three-point attempts in the last 20 seconds, before a layup with one second got them to within one possession. But time expired before KSU could regain possession.

Wallace, who pulled down more than 500 rebounds in her career, finished the season with her 17th double-double of the season with 14 points and 14 rebounds. Sophomore Erica Jones (South Haven, MS) added 11 points and five rebounds. For their efforts, they earned spots on the 2019 Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference All-Tournament team.

Seniors Vinsetta Covington (Birmingham, AL) and Tara Jefferson (Milwaukee, WI) concluded their KSU careers.