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A season that kept the Western women’s basketball team away from its home Carver Gymnasium for 23 games ended in heartbreak for the Vikings in the NCAA Division II national championship game in Birmingham, Alabama.

No. 5 Western fell to No. 3 Glenville State (West Virginia) 85-72 in the final game of the season, ending the Vikings’ outstanding postseason run short of where they wanted to be.

“It didn’t end how we wanted it to end, but just the ride and journey, that’s what I want them and us to focus on,” Western head coach Carmen Dolfo said. “It’s been a fabulous journey and we’ve done it together the whole way. Through all our ups and downs, we stuck together.”

Western ends its season with a 25-6 record and as the national runner-up. 

“It hurts right now, but I know, just with a little bit of time, they’re going to be so proud,” Dolfo said. “We got to represent our school, our community, ourselves and our families. They did it with grace and poise and effort. It’s hard, but there’s so much to be proud of.”