This wasn’t supposed to happen.

The George Fox women’s basketball team entered the 2008-09 season without a returning starter, had 10 freshmen on its roster and was picked to finish fifth in a preseason Northwest Conference poll.

Despite the odds, the Bruins season ended with a perfect 32-0 record after their 60-53 victory over Washington-St. Louis in the finals of the Division III Women’s Basketball Championship in Holland, Michigan, on Saturday.

Kristen Shielee, George Fox’s lone senior, was named the most outstanding player of the tournament after a 17-point, seven-rebound performance against Washington-St. Louis. She delivered two key baskets in the paint late in the game after the Bears closed to 51-50 with 3:10 remaining.

“I got good position, and they were perfect passes. I just went right up with it,” Shielee said.

George Fox coach Scott Rueck kept being pleasantly surprised all season by his young squad. He figured they had something special simmering when they swept games at Whitworth and Whitman, who were the two favorites in the Northwest Conference.

“That’s when I realized this group was coming along faster than expected,” Rueck said. “But to win a championship? I thought, ‘No way.’ These kids have made believers out of me, and now everyone else. I could not be prouder of what they have accomplished.”

George Fox became the sixth undefeated national champion since the Division III women’s tournament began in 1982. The Bruins are only the second team west of the Central time zone to reach the title game, joining Cal State-Stanislaus, which lost to Elizabethtown in 1989.

All of it is hard to fathom considering the makeup and expectations for this team.

“I was really scared back in October,” Rueck said. “I knew we had some talent, but with no starters back and only one senior, I thought our lack of experience would get us. I was just hoping for a winning season.”

The Bears, 26-5, pushed George Fox to the final seconds before being denied the program’s fifth national title.

Washington-St. Louis’ Jill Brandt sank three free throws after being fouled on a three-point attempt to cut the lead to 55-53 with 25 seconds remaining. The Bears stole the ensuing inbounds pass and had an opportunity to take the lead, but Halsey Ward's 3-point try rattled in-and-out of the basket.

Brandt also missed a three-point shot with nine seconds left that could have tied the score. Free throws by Sage Indendi and Shielee sealed the game.

George Fox made four three-pointers in the final to give it a Division III-record 42 field goals from beyond the arc in the tournament. The Bruins, who made 14 three-pointers in a 67-52 semifinal-win over The College of New Jersey, broke the previous mark of 39 made three-pointers by New York University in 1997.

 Semifinals

George Fox 67, TCNJ 52

TCNJ: Kelsey Kutch 7-13, 0-0, 6, 14; Alyssa Michella 0-5, 0-0, 1, -0; Hillary Klimowicz 8-19, 3-3, 9, 19; Keri Washington 2-5, 0-0, 2- 4; Nicole Diaz 1-5, 0-0, 5, 3; Karen Lassoni 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Hannah Tait 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Lisa Koch 1-2, 0-0, 1, 3; Alex Gregorek 2-5, 5-7, 3, 9. Totals: 21-55, 8-10, 30, 52.

George Fox: Elise Kuenzi 1-6, 0-0, 4, 3; Keisha Gordon 4-13, 1-3, 3- 12; Kristen Shielee 4-6, 7-10, 9, 15; B.B. Gardner 3-8, 0-0, 4, 9; Sage Indendi 8-11, 1-1, 2, 23; Bree Rhinehart-Young 1-1, 0-0, 1, 2; Laura Silva 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Lindsay Keener 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Arianna Mohsenian 1-5, 0-0, 3, 3; Samantha Simmons 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Pilar Mullens 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Carrie Myers 0-3, 0-2, 5, 0. Totals: 22-55, 9-16, 40, 67.

Halftime: George Fox 34, TCNJ 26. Three-point field goals: TCNJ 2-12 (Koch 1-2, Diaz 1-4, Washington 0-1, Michella 0-5); George Fox 14-28 (Indendi 6-8, Gardner 3-6, Gordon 3-7, Kuenzi 1-3, Mohsenian 1-4). Officials: Kelly Dennis, Tim Gebhardt, Don Green. Attendance: 1,587.

Washington-St. Louis 65, Amherst 49

Washington-St. Louis: Jaimie McFarland 3-5, 0-0, 15, 6; Zoe Unruh 3-8, 2-2, 2, 9; Janice Evans 3-5, 1-2, 5, 7; Alex Hoover 2-5, 4-5, 2, 8; Jill Brandt 2-6, 2-2, 4, 6; Rovina Broomfield 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Shanna-Lei Dacanay 1-8, 2-2, 2, 4; Hannah Cusworth 0-1, 1-2, 3, 1; Dani Hoover 0-1, 0-0, 1, 0; Stacey Niese 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Tina Luning 1-1, 0-0, 0, 2; Kelsey Robb 4-5, 4-4, 2, 12; Halsey Ward 0-3, 4-4, 2, 4; Miki Carter 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Kathryn Berger 2-4, 2-3, 3, 6. Totals: 21-52, 22-26, 45, 65.

Amherst: Jaclyn Daigneault 2-7, 0-0, 9, 4; Kim Fiorentino 1-9, 0-0, 4, 3; Sarah Leyman 0-3, 3-4, 6, 3; Courtney Long 3-10, 0-0, 1, 8; Shannon Finucane 2-10, 1-2, 1, 6; Stacy Brossy, 2-5, 0-0, 1, 5; Susannah Ludwig 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Kristyn Dunleavy 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Caroline Stedman 1-5, 0-0, 0, 3; Yasmine Harik 1-1, 1-1, 0, 3; Livia Rizzo 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Amanda Otieno 1-4, 4-4, 4, 6; Lem Atanga McCormick 4-7, 0-0, 2, 8. Totals: 17-61, 9-11, 34, 49.

Halftime: Washington-St. Louis 27, Amherst 22. Three-point field goals: Washington-St. Louis 1-5 (Unruh 1-2, A. Hoover 0-1, Ward 0-2); Amherst 6-19 (Long 2-6, Stedman 1-2, Fiorentino 1-3, Brossy 1-3, Finucane 1-4, Otieno 0-1). Officials: Ralph Edwards, Rae Ann Jonson, Mary Toberman. Attendance: 1,569.

Third place

TCNJ 82, Amherst 74

TCNJ: Kelsey Kutch 3-7, 0-0, 5, 6; Alyssa Michella 6-10, 1-1, 2, 17; Hillary Klimowicz 8-14, 9-10, 12, 25; Keri Washington 1-3, 2-4, 8, 4; Nicole Diaz 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Brittany Jones 0-1, 0-0, 0, 0; Jamie Cresbaugh 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Karen Lassoni 0-1, 3-5, 2, 3; Hannah Tait 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Lisa Koch 3-5, 6-7, 1, 13; Alex Gregorek 6-11, 2-4, 4, 14. Totals: 27-52, 23-31, 38, 82.

Amherst: Jaclyn Daigneault 5-12, 4-6, 8, 14; Kim Fiorentino 4-12, 0-0, 9, 9; Sarah Leyman 2-2, 3-4, 2, 7; Courtney Long 3-9, 0-0, 0, 8; Shannon Finucane 3-10, 8-13, 1, 16; Stacy Brossy 0-4, 0-0, 0, 0; Caroline Stedman 2-8, 0-0, 4, 6; Livia Rizzo 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Amanda Otieno 1-4, 0-0, 2, 2; Lem Atanga McCormick 6-11, 0-0, 8, 12. Totals: 26-72, 15-23, 41, 74.

Halftime: TCNJ 27, Amherst 21. Three-point field goals: TCNJ 5-11 (Michella 4-8, Koch 1-2, Lassoni 0-1). Amherst 7-32 (Long 2-7, Finucane 2-7, Stedman 2-7, Fiorentino 1-7; Otieno 0-1, Brossy 0-3). Officials: Marne Fox, Mark Repinski, Dorran Stewart. Attendance: 1,758.

Championship

George Fox 60, Washington-St. Louis 53

Washington-St. Louis: Jaimie McFarlin 5-10, 0-0, 6, 10; Zoe Unruh 4-10, 0-0, 4, 11; Janice Evans 4-11, 3-4, 6, 11; Alex Hoover 2-6, 0-0, 1, 4; Jill Brandt 2-6, 4-5, 3, 9; Shannon-Lei Dacanay 1-3, 0-0, 1, 2; Hannah Cusworth 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Dani Hoover 0-0, 0-0, 0, 0; Kelsey Robb 2-6, 0-0, 5, 4; Halsey Ward 1-6, 0-0, 5, 2; Kathryn Berger 0-2, 0-0, 3, 0. Totals: 21-60, 7-9, 36, 53.

George Fox: Elise Kuenzi 3-9, 7-10, 5, 14; Keisha Gordon 2-7, 0-0, 2, 5; Kristen Shielee 5-9, 7-8, 7, 17; B.B. Gardner 3-6, 0-0, 4, 6; Sage Indendi 4-11, 4-4, 5, 13; Bree Rinehart-Young 0-0, 0-0, 1, 0; Lindsay Keener 1-1, 0-0, 2, 3; Arianna Mohsenian 1-2, 0-0, 3, 2; Carrie Myers 0-1, 0-0, 2, 0. Totals: 19-46, 18-22, 34, 60.

Halftime: George Fox 38, Washington-St. Louis 29. Three-point field goals: Washington-St. Louis 4-18 (Unruh 3-6, Brandt 1-4, Evans 0-1, A. Hoover 0-2, Ward 0-5); George Fox 4-17 (Keener 1-1, Kuenzi 1-3, Gordon 1-4, Indendi 1-7, Gardner 0-1, Mohsenian 0-1). Officials: Ron Clarkston, Jack Plunkett, Michell Rolko. Attendance: 1,830.