BETHANY, Okla. - The No. 1 seeded Crimson Storm returned to their home court inside the Sawyer Center for the final time this season as they took on the No. 7 seed Minnesota State Mankato in the Central Region Championship. A tough Minnesota State squad stumped the Storm bringing their incredible season to a close. 

The Storm (30-3, 21-1 GAC) met the Mavericks (29-5, 20-2 NSIC), who were ranked No. 2 at the time, for their first game of the season in St. Joseph Missouri. SNU handed Mankato a tough 74-58 loss to begin the season on a high note. The Mavericks did not forget that loss and they looked to get revenge on Southern Nazarene and did just that. 

MSU jumped out to a fast 4-0 lead after forcing a quick Storm turnover to begin the contest. Emily Monaghan got SNU on the board after she laid in a bucket to cut the deficit in half. Mankato then exploded for a 13-0 run which was highlighted by three long balls from guard Joey Batt. 

Monaghan was sent to the foul line where she got the Storm back on the board with a single free throw. The Mavericks kept their foot on the gas pouring in a few more buckets before Hannah Giddey made her way to the foul line tacking on two free throws to the SNU score to trail 22-5 with 1:15 left to play in the first quarter. Minnesota State got in one last jumper to lead 24-5 after one quarter of play. 

The Storm was going to have to chip away at the steep Mankato lead, and the Mavericks did not make that an easy task. They opened up the second quarter with their fifth three-ball of the night. Jena Bay tacked on a three of her own and Monaghan hit two free throws to snag some momentum for the Storm. 

MSU continued to put pressure on the SNU offense. Giddey was able to lay one in off the glass to trail 33-12. The Mavericks kept finding a way to respond by adding on back-to-back long balls to their score. A few more Crimson Storm free throws and a layup from Bay would be all Mankato allowed for the remainder of the half as they led SNU 46-16.

Giddey poured in five points to begin the second half of the contest. The Mavericks continued to find the basket, but the Storm was not going away. Lauryn Reither and Jillian Crawford teamed up for the next five points to trail 57-26. The two squads traded trips to the charity stripe before MSU collected a steal and a layup to lead by 30 with 55 seconds left on the clock. The Storm posted the last five points of the quarter as Abbie Jiles knocked down two free throws and Bay hit a buzzer beater three to end the third quarter. 

Reither wasted no time getting the Storm on the board in the final quarter as she laid in a bucket. SNU continued to chip away at the Mankato lead as Reither and Crawford once again tacked on more points for the Storm. MSU continued to shoot it well as they knocked down another three to extend their lead 69-44. The two squads continued to trade points until the final buzzer sounded and Mankato claimed the 80-48 victory to advance to the Elite Eight.

The Crimson Storm's remarkable season, unfortunately, comes to a close as they embarked on a historical season. They earned the first No. 1 Regional seed and posted the first 30 win season in the Division II era while spending most of this season in the top-25 ranks. This Storm squad will go down as one of the best to do it in the crimson and white.