PLYMOUTH, Wis. – Benedictine University's Sophia Hardy scored a go-ahead layup with 49 seconds left in the game and the Lakeland University women's basketball team saw its season come to a close with a 71-67 loss Saturday afternoon on Senior Day at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium.

The Muskies saw a seven-point lead slip away over the final four minutes and finished the season 9-16 overall and 7-9 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference. With Rockford University's 78-43 win at Dominican University on Saturday, the Muskies finished in a tie with Rockford for eighth in the NACC standings, and the Regents won the tiebreaker by virtue of their 61-51 win over Lakeland at home in the teams' lone meeting this season on Jan. 24.

A strong finish to the season under first-year head coach Ashley Lona came to a frustrating end with the Muskies' second straight narrow loss, coming after a five-game winning streak to get into the NACC Tournament picture over the campaign's final three weeks. Saturday saw Lakeland overcome an early 13-point deficit and injury to be in a strong position down the stretch, only to go cold late, making 3 of 18 field goal attempts in the fourth quarter.

The Muskies still led 65-58 with 4:18 left in the game after a layup by Sadie Conway (Monroe, Wis.), one of three seniors honored before the game. Conway's basket would cap a 10-2 run over a nearly four-minute stretch that answered the Eagles' 11-0 run to take the lead back early in the fourth quarter.

Lakeland would score just two more points the rest of the game, though. Missed free throws and several missed layups after uncalled contact helped Benedictine (9-16 overall, 9-7 NACC) work its way back in the game, and the guests tied the game at 65-65 on a three-point play by Autumn Rucker with 2:19 left, then took the lead when Hardy split two free throws 20 seconds later.

The Muskies retook the lead shortly after when Meghan MacPhee (Fr.-Marquette, Mich.) scored on a layup inside after a feed from Jenna Caterino (Jr.-Stanton, Mich.), but the Eagles went back ahead on Hardy's basket with under a minute left. Lakeland was then whistled for a three-second violation on its next possession, and though Benedictine missed two free throws after being fouled soon after, Hardy grabbed the offensive rebound and scored again to make it 70-67 with 31 seconds left.

Lakeland had three chances to tie in the final 30 seconds, but missed all three of its three-point attempts, including one coming after an Eagles turnover with 17 seconds remaining. Makenzie Carroll finally closed it out making one of two free throws with seven seconds left for the game's final margin.

Benedictine got off to a fast start, making four three-pointers in the first quarter to take a 21-8 lead, and the Eagles stayed hot early in the second quarter and led 32-19 after a layup by Carroll with 6:19 left in the first half. The Muskies would get back into the game quickly, with an 8-0 run capped by consecutive layups by A.T. Bartlett (So.-Farmington Hills, Mich.) slashing Benedictine's lead to 35-31.

Lakeland trailed 39-33 at halftime but slowly gained control in the third quarter. Caris Jaeger (Fr.-Oostburg, Wis.) made two free throws for the game's first tie at 41-41, but they came at a cost as she entered the game after Bartlett-Lakeland's leading scorer-was injured while being fouled on a drive.

The Muskies still took their first lead of the game on their next possession on a layup by Alexis Johnson (So.-Sheboygan, Wis.), and after some back and forth Lakeland scored 10 straight points, going ahead 55-47 after Johnson split two free throws with 55 seconds left in the third.

Kerstin Sauerbrei (Ripon, Wis.) scored a team-high 13 points and added six rebounds to lead the Muskies, including two more three-pointers to finish her career with a school-record 161 made three-pointers. Caterino also scored 11 points and added five assists, Johnson and Jenna Shea (Fr.-Appleton, Wis.) scored nine points each and Bartlett and MacPhee added eight points each.

Johnson also added a team-high seven rebounds and Shea finished with three steals. Lakeland finished shooting 39.7% (25 of 63), cooling way off late after shooting just under 50 percent through three quarters. The game was the final for three Muskies, with Conway, Sauerbrei and Bree Arsenault (Hermansville, Mich.) all recognized as part of Senior Day activities before the game.

Olympia Kokkines scored 15 points off the bench to lead Benedictine, which shot 41.5% (27 of 65), including 8 of 27 from three-point range. Rucker also scored 12 points and Hardy added 10 points, including eight in the fourth quarter.