UNCW’s strongest women’s basketball senior class ended its career with a 65-59 loss to Delaware on March 11 in the first round of the CAA tournament at Old Dominion’s Constance Center in Norfolk, Va.

The Seahawks say goodbye to forward Tracy Morgan, and guards Jennifer Kapper, Cherie Lea and Donta Davis, who helped guide the squad to the CAA final in 2002 and a second-place finish in the league in 2003.

Lea, who transferred into the program from UNC-Chapel Hill, earned first-team all-conference honors for the second straight year. Lea led the squad in scoring (15.7 points per game) and assists. Jennifer Kapper finished on the league’s second team. Morgan ended her career third on the school’s all-time rebounding list, clocking out with 775 boards.

The Seahawks marked its high point this season when the squad reeled off seven of eight victories, propelling themselves into the CAA race, but also saw a four-game losing streak that dropped them back into the lower half of the standings.

“There’s a lot of parity in the league,” Seahawk coach Ann Hancock said. “It was hard to expect what would happen game-to-game. It was a very different mentality from the team last year. It was hard to know who was going to show up, but we did some good things.”

The squad finished the season fifth place in the conference and 15-13 record.

“Obviously we didn’t accomplish all our goals,” Hancock said. “The main goal was to make it to the NCAA Tournament, but we came up short on that. But, it’s a great group of seniors, we hate to see them go, but life goes on and we start to work for the next year.”

The drive for the 2004-05 season started the day after the season-ending loss when the staff started recruiting. Returning players will include junior forward Tanika Harrison, sophomore guard Lindsay Isom and junior center Shannon Presswood

“It’s kind of the best way to get off it, to go out there and get started for the next year,” Hancock said. “And the girls that are coming back are hitting the weight room and work out.”