Despite an 85-80 loss to No. 12 Benedictine College in its final regular season game on Monday in Collins Center, the Baker University women’s basketball team was pleased to honor Alisha Fanshier and Rece Huddlin for Senior Night.

Head coach Ben Lister is proud of his two seniors’ accomplishments this year. So proud, he finds “it’s almost too hard to put into words.”

“They are both just tremendous people,” Lister said. “They’ve been great, vocal leaders and they’ve brought a lot to our program. Obviously, taking us from six to 19 wins in just one year says a lot about what those two have done for us.”

Fanshier led all scorers by racking up 21 points. She has been the team’s leading scorer since her transfer to Baker in 2011.

This year has been Huddlin’s first and last as a Wildcat. She, too, is satisfied with her team’s achievements this season.

“I would say it (has been) a very successful senior year,” Huddlin said. “Some games were better than others, but I am glad to be on a team that has such great chemistry. As far as the coaching staff goes, I couldn’t ask for more. They are down to earth, fun and about business.”

What Huddlin isn’t as impressed with, though, is the nine points and five rebounds she recorded in the game against Benedictine.

“I could have contributed a lot more,” Huddlin said. “I was more upset of my mistakes and the loss than it being my last game in the regular season.”

The loss to Benedictine came shortly after a 75-63 defeat by Central Methodist University.

Before both of these games, Lister was hoping his team would play with a “postseason mentality.” Huddlin didn’t think her team played with such an effort, though, and thought their performance in the first halves of each game is what ultimately cost them.

“If we would have played our first half of both Central Methodist and Benedictine like we played our second halves, we would have won without a doubt,” Huddlin said. “The positive is that our season is not over.”

The Wildcats season certainly hasn’t ended yet and according to Lister, the team “has a lot to play for still.”

Although the Wildcats let a third-place finish in the HAAC regular season slip through its hands with the two straight losses, they will still have the opportunity to host a first-round matchup in the tournament as the No. 4 seed. Lister believes this to be a “big step for our program.”

Baker will take on No. 5 seeded Peru State College in the opening round of the tournament at 7 p.m. Thursday in Collins Center.

The Wildcats swept Peru State in the regular season, but they know defeating PSC a third time will not be easy.

“These few practices before the tournament starts (were) about getting better defensively and staying focused on our goals,” sophomore Haleigh Tenpenny said