LUBBOCK, Texas – Trailing for all but five minutes on the afternoon, No. 1 Jones rallied all the way back from 17 down to take the lead with 29.4 seconds left before a jumper from No. 15 Western Nebraska with 15 seconds left sealed the Bobcats' fate.
Jones (20-1) was down 17 points in the first half, and battled through early foul trouble and an unkind whistle. They were in the midst of one of their worst shooting performances of the season. Sophomore All-American
Daisha Bradford fouled out with 6:13 left and multiple Bobcat players were gassed.
Yet, top-seeded Jones staged a furious rally and still had a chance to send the game to overtime on the last possession.
Endia Holliday's offensive rebound and putback with 29.4 ticks left gave Jones its first lead, 60-59, since the 6:11 mark of the first quarter.
One stop, and the Bobcats pull off an incredible comeback.
Ky Buell made sure that didn't happen for Western Nebraska (17-5). She hit a 15-foot jumper over the outstretched arms of Holliday to put the Cougars on top 61-60 and then Ashley Panem extended it to 63-60 with a pair of free throws.
Jones called timeout to advance the ball to midcourt and drew up a final play.
Lekera Hughes got a contested look at a three-pointer in the near corner by the Bobcat bench, but it drew front iron and ended Jones' season.
Four Bobcats finished in double figures, led by
JaKayla Johnson and
Endia Holliday with 15 apiece. Bradford had a double-double with 11 points, 11 rebounds.
Kyjai Miles had a game-high 14 rebounds.
Ale'jah Douglas put the Cougars on her back with 27 points and 12 rebounds, scoring 19 of those in the first half.
A poor shooting first half and foul trouble did the Bobcats in.
The loss snapped Jones' 23-game winning streak, the second-longest in program history. The Bobcats reached new heights in 2021, ranked No. 1 for the first time in program history and also earning their first-ever No. 1 seed into the NJCAA Division I Tournament.
Western Nebraska will play Three Rivers on Thursday with a Final Four spot on the line.
