Clik here to view.
By Jeff Vorva
Correspondent
For the second year in a row, the Morton College women’s basketball team finished fifth in the country.
The Panthers closed out the 2023-24 campaign in Joplin, Missouri, with a 75-67 victory over Iowa Western on March 23 in the consolation championship game at the NJCAA Division II National Tournament.
It ended a wild season in which Morton had an unannounced coaching change from Jason Nichols to Jeff Bambule not long after Nichols won his 100th game for the Panthers in late January. The Panthers finished 33-4.
Morton opened the tournament as the seventh overall seed and beat Harcum, 87-72, in the first round.
The Panthers lost to eventual national champion Kirkwood, 88-78, in the quarterfinals. Morton trailed by 22 points in that game and twice cut the deficit to four, but could not pull off the comeback win.
The Panthers wrapped up the tournament with two straight wins.
Nariah Clay averaged 18.5 points in the tournament to earn a spot on the all-tournament team.
