SXU Women's Basketball Team Gets Hero's Welcome After Finishing Season as NAIA National Runner-Up

CHICAGO, IL - Fans of the Saint Xavier University women's basketball team greeted them with a hero's welcome upon their return to campus on Wednesday.

Fans lined outside the Shannon Center on a bitterly cold day as Head Coach Bob Hallberg and his squad returned from Sioux City, Iowa, where they finished as the national runner-up in the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball Tournament Tuesday night. The Cougars advanced to the NAIA Championship Game for the first time in program history, but lost to Marian University, Indiana on Tuesday.

"I haven't had a pizza in 10 days," Hallberg said to the crowd, noting how the team has been away from Chicago for that long. "The first thing I'm going to do is get a slice of pizza."

Hallberg said that while the Cougars came up one step short of their ultimate goal, a 34-3 season is one that will be remembered forever.

"We came up a little short, but we aren't going to be defined by one game," he said. "Any player or coach should be happy with a 34-3 season."

Related: SXU's Kara Krolicki Named NAIA Player of the Year

Watch the reception held for the team upon their return. Via Saint Xavier University Athletics