FORT WORTH, Texas — The end felt like a gut punch.
The No. 6 seed Washington women’s basketball team was in control for most of the game, forced overtime in the final seconds of regulation and trailed by a point in the final two minutes of the extra period.
Down three points with 6.4 seconds left, the Huskies gave the ball to Sayvia Sellers who got off a clean-looking three-pointer that sailed long and bounced out of the rim as time expired on a 62-59 loss to No. 3 seed TCU in the second round of the NCAA tournament.
This is the heartbreak of March.
Washington finished the season 22-11. In many ways, coach Tina Langley’s fifth season was a resounding success.
The Huskies won their most games and made back-to-back NCAA tournament appearances for the first time since the 2016-17 season.
Nine years ago, Washington advanced to the Sweet 16 and the Huskies were tantalizingly close to punching their ticket to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA tournament on Sunday night.
TCU, which is the tallest team among Division I squads, boasts a front line that includes 6-foot-7 center Clara Silva and 6-3 forward Marta Suarez along with guards Taylor Bigby (6-1), Donovyn Hunter (6-0) and Olivia Miles (5-10).
Washington negated the TCU size advantage with a pesky four-guard lineup that double teamed the Horned Frogs in the paint while smothering their perimeter players.
After trailing 13-11 in the first quarter, the Huskies took over in the second and held the Horned Frogs to 2-for-11 shooting to take a 27-19 halftime lead.
It was the fewest first-half points this season for TCU and the second fewest for a UW opponent.
When the roar in the building rose to ear-splitting levels in the third quarter as purple-clad Horned Frogs fans tried to lift their team a comeback, the Huskies had difficulty slowing down TCU star Miles who had eight points in the period.
TCU trimmed its deficit to 39-36 heading into the fourth quarter and closed to 42-40 when Sellers drained a three-pointer and Brynn McGaughy hit a long jumper to go up 47-40.
The Horned Frogs countered with a 7-0 run to knot the score at 47 apiece with 3:50 left.
Trailing by two points in the final 20 seconds of regulation and six seconds on the shot clock, McGaughy scooped in a layup to tie it at 51 and Miles missed a three-pointer as time expired.
Sellers finished with a game-high-tying 18 points, Avery Howell had 14 points and eight rebounds while McGaughy tallied 13 points and Hannah Stines chipped in 10 points.
Miles scored 18 points for TCU (31-5), which won its 44th straight home game.
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