The 2018-19 DII women's basketball season ended with two undefeated teams. Both Drury and UC San Diego entered the postseason on a quest for perfection.
And now none remain.
PRINT YOUR BRACKET: Bracket, times, and info for the 2019 DII women's tournament | Interactive bracket
The Panthers and Tritons made it through their respective conference championships unscathed, carrying their undefeated records into the NCAA tournament. Drury and UC San Diego both won first-round games, but the Tritons lost to Azusa Pacific in the second round.
FUN FACTS: 1 thing to know about every team in the Elite Eight | Predicting the champion
Only Drury remained in the hunt and made it to the national semifinals as the No. 1 overall seed in Columbus, Ohio. After an impressive quarterfinals victory over Nova Southeastern, the Panthers dropped a heartbreaker to Lubbock Christian, 69-60.
No. 1 Drury (35-1)
Signature wins: Nov. 23, 76-43 over No. 24 Lindenwood; Jan. 12, 69-66 over No. 18 Lewis; Jan. 26, 77-50 over Southern Indiana; 72-66 over Truman
The polls have spoken, this group is on 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yVfL7i8RVT
— Drury Lady Panthers (@DULadyPanthers) January 17, 2019
The Panthers completed their perfect regular season in dominating fashion, downing William Jewell 91-34. Drury swept through the GLVC tourney with little issue, earning an automatic entry to the NCAA DII tournament selection. The Panthers were strong in the NCAA DII tournament but fell just short of the fifth undefeated season in DII women's basketball history.
| NCAA TOURNAMENT | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mar. 15 | Kentucky Wesleyan | W, 88-57 |
| Mar. 16 | Northern Michigan | W, 78-56 |
| Mar. 18 | Midwest Region championship, Grand Valley State | W, 51-44 |
| Mar. 26 | Elite Eight: vs. No. 8 Nova Southeastern | W, 91-60 |
| Mar. 27 | Semifinals vs. No. 5 Lubbock Christian | L, 69-60 |
