HOUGHTON, Mich. - The scene will be repeated 62 more times in the NCAA Division II women's basketball tournament. Seniors will play their final minutes. Daughters will find their parents' open arms in the hallway. You can bet there will be some tears. However no team in the field of 64 experienced the same journey the Lewis women's basketball team saw come to an end on Friday evening to No. 3 Michigan Tech 72-56.

Lewis won four consecutive "win or your season is over" games to earn the 2011 Great Lakes Valley Conference Championship and automatic NCAA berth but Lewis couldn't overcome Michigan Tech's 51.9 percent (28-of-54) shooting on Friday. The Flyers, ranked eighth in the Midwest Region, end their season 15-16. No. 1 in the region Michigan Tech improves to 27-2 and advances to the second round.

Lewis never held a lead in the contest after Michigan Tech opened the game with a 3-pointer. The Huskies opened a 15-point lead in the first half with 6:09 remaining and the feeling from the hometown Huskie supporters was that Michigan Tech was going to pull away early. Not so fast. Lewis cut the deficit to seven points, 36-29, at halftime thanks to a layup by senior Jenny Turpel (Johnsburg, Ill./Johnsburg) with six seconds remaining in the half. Turpel had 11 points in the stanza.

The Flyers cut the lead to six at 44-38 with 14:28 left on a 3-pointer sophomore Labrenthia Murdock (Round Lake, Ill./Round Lake) at the top of the arc. But each time Lewis would make a run Michigan Tech had an answer. Murdock's three was no different as the Huskies responded with a basket 27 seconds later. A 3-pointer by sophomore Madeline Kish (Oak Forest, Ill./Sandburg/Eastern Illinois) with 8:58 remaining made it a seven-point game. But 35 seconds later the Huskies answered with a three of their own. Michigan Tech led by double-digits the rest of the way.

"We wanted to get some stops and get in transition but we didn't get enough stops tonight," head coach Lisa Carlsen said. "Michigan Tech was very efficient on the offensive end."

Kish scored 12 points off the bench thanks to making 4-of-5 3-pointers.

"Madeline was recruited as a shooter and you saw tonight what she can provide," Carlsen said. "She was a big boost off the bench."

Lewis was led by Turpel's 17 points on 8-of-13 shooting. Turpel will graduate fourth all-time in points at Lewis with 1,819. Turpel ranks third all-time in rebounds (805) and second in blocks (123). She is the only player in school history to rank in the top five in those three categories.

Currin finished with six points and six assists. She will graduate seventh all-time in assists with 408.

Seniors Kelly Monaco (Chicago, Ill./Resurrection) and Carol Kruckman (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) also played their final game in a Lewis uniform.

"A big reason for this run was our seniors," Carlsen said. "They left it all out there."

Murdock added 11 points for Lewis.

Michigan Tech held a 32-24 edge in the paint. The Huskies recorded 16 blocks.