STORRS, Conn. – The UConn Women's lacrosse team fell short to No.5 Denver in the BIG EAST Tournament Championship game on Sunday afternoon. It was a defensive contest as two nationally ranked teams battled it out on a sunny afternoon in Storrs, CT.

The Huskies were on the board first as Grace Coon notched on into the back of the net on a pass from Sophie Sorenson. Two strong defensive showings dictated the first quarter, including clutch saves from both Landyn White of UConn and Emelia Bohi of Denver. Charlotte Boote of the Pioneers capped off the scoring by tying up with game on a free position attempt as the final seconds ticked down on a thrilling first quarter.

On a free position attempt, Julia Gilbert gave Denver the lead two minutes into the second quarter. Kate Shaffer tied the game back up less than a minute later with a rocket shot from six yards out. Denver's Mollie Estepp, Ryan Dineen, and Gilbert with two, put the Pioneers up by four goals with less than 10 minutes to go in the first half. Shaffer put a stop to the Pioneer's scoring spree with less than two minutes on the clock to cut the lead heading into halftime.

The Huskies came out of the gate strong with a goal from senior Madelyn George at 13:05. Another scoring spree from Denver's Gilbert, Sloane Kipp, and Ellie Curry put the Pioneers back up five goals on the Huskies to end the third quarter.

Denver scored first to start the final quarter of the game, before Sorenson notched a goal for the Huskies on a free position shot at 11:33. Sorenson's goal was followed up by another free position goal from Lia LaPrise to cut the lead to four with less than 10 minutes to go. The game was scoreless, with defense on both sides holding the offense off, until 22 seconds left, when Denver's Dineen put the final goal into the back of the net to solidify a Pioneer win.

UConn's veteran goalkeeper, Landyn White, had an outstanding game versus Denver, recording 19 saves and earning a spot on the All-Tournament team. Ariana Kline and Kate Shaffer also earned spots on the BIG EAST All-Tournament team after standout defensive and offensive performances. Kline had three caused turnovers, five ground balls, and one draw control in today's game, whereas Shaffer notched two goals and one ground ball.

The Huskies will wait for the NCAA selection show on Sunday evening at 9:00pm to see if they've locked up a spot in the post-season NCAA tournament for a chance to play for the national title. The selection show will air on ESPNU.