The University of Wisconsin-Whitewater women's basketball team closed out the First Round of the NCAA Tournament with a 21-13 fourth quarter to defeat Transylvania University. 

The first quarter went back-&-forth, gearing everyone up in Kachel Gym for the exciting showdown. The Warhawks were down 8-4 early, but Bri McCrudy hit an early three-pointer to cut the deficit back down. The Pioneers were able to get a 13-9 lead, but back-to-back baskets from UWW tied the game up late in the frame. 

Transylvania hit a buzzer-beater lay-up to come out of the first quarter with a 17-15 lead. The Warhawks quickly erased the advantage, starting the second quarter on a 7-0 run. 

UWW extended the run to 16-5, taking a nine-point lead with 2:30 left in the first half. Transylvania answered back with a 7-0 run, but Renee Rittmeyer (Winnebago, Ill./Winnebago) hit a last-second lay-up to keep the Warhawks up by four.

After shooting 57.1% (8-for-14) from the floor in the first quarter, Transylvania went just 30% (3-for-10) in the second quarter. The Warhawks were a bit more consistent, shooting 53.8% (7-for-13) in the first & 46.7% (7-for-15) in the second.

Coming out of the break, Transylvania took a quick 6-0 run to retake the lead. The Warhawks were able to tie it up, setting up another tightly contested quarter. Neither team led by more than four in the quarter. 

The Warhawks took a four-point lead at 46-42 with 3:20 left in the frame, but a 8-0 run by Transylvania turned the lead around. The Warhawks were able to limit the damage, trailing only by three points entering the final quarter.

The Warhawks began the final frame on a 9-2 run. Mia Gillis (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic) defended the Warhawks' paint with back-to-back blocks before hitting an elbow jumper to give the Warhawks another four-point lead at 58-54. Transylvania scored before the final media timeout, keeping the margin at just two heading into the final five minutes of the game.

The first basket after the media timeout was a three-pointer from McCurdy to give the Warhawks a five-point lead. Transylvania started to answer back, but the Warhawks kept them at bay, taking a 66-60 lead with 30-seconds left. 

Transylvania started to gear up for a March moment, going on a 5-0 run to cut the Warhawk lead to just one point at 66-65 with just 20-seconds on the clock. But the Warhawks sealed the game from the line, making all four of their free throws in the final few ticks on the clock. 

The Warhawks closed out the game with a 21-13 fourth quarter. Bri McCurdy (St. Croix Falls, Wis./St. Croix Falls) & Mia Gillis (Mundelein, Ill./Carmel Catholic) scored 17 of those 21 points in the final frame to close out the win. 

UWW will face UChicago in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:15 PM on Saturday, March 7th.