The WSU women’s basketball team’s fairytale ride to the WNIT semifinals ended on Wednesday night as the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets surged past the Cougars in the fourth quarter 69-61 to secure a spot in the championship game.

“It’s been a hell of a journey,” WSU Head Coach June Daugherty said via scout.com. “They are a great example of kids who have the fortitude to keep going and improve, to stay focused and never throw in the towel.”

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The Cougars (16-20) led by as much as 11 points in the third quarter before the Yellow Jackets (22-14) halted them in the final frame. WSU went the first six and a half minutes without scoring in the fourth quarter as the Yellow Jackets reclaimed the lead and held on for the victory.

One could argue fatigue was a factor for the Cougars, as they have traveled over 4,000 miles and played in four different time zones in the WNIT.

The Yellow Jackets won a defensive game, winning with a score in the 60s’ and holding the Cougars to 37.5 percent shooting from the field while only playing eight players. The physical play of Georgia Tech gave the Cougars fits as they outrebounded WSU 50-35. Foul trouble was also an issue for WSU, as they were called for 19 compared to GT’s 8.

Georgia Tech had two monster double-double performances by their frontline. Junior forward Zaire O’Neil recorded 20 points and 16 rebounds, while redshirt-junior Elo Edeferioka scored 11 points and 16 rebounds. The Yellow Jackets had four players score in the double-digits.

The game was back-and-forth throughout the first 20 minutes before the Cougars extended the lead to 11 points in the third quarter as sophomore guard Alexys Swedlund hit a 3-pointer, followed by a layup of her own. Swedlund led the Cougars with 21 points including five 3-pointers.

“We’re going to come back and give the Cougar fans a better season next year,” Swedlund said. “Today Georgia Tech was just a better team.”

Junior Guard Pinelopi Pavlopoulou nearly had a triple-double with seven points, eight rebounds and six assists, while senior forward Ivana Kmetovska recorded eight points and five rebounds to end her four-year collegiate career.

But in the bigger picture, the Cougars ended the season with momentum, winning their first four games of the WNIT, three of which were on the road. With the likes of junior forward Louise Brown and freshmen guards Chanelle Molina and Cameron Fernandez coming back from injury next year, the Cougars will strengthen their depth, as they already have promising players in redshirt-sophomore Nike McClure, junior guard Caila Hailey, Pavlopoulou and Swedlund.

“It’s tough to fall one game short but there was so much good to come out of this,” Daugherty said.

Georgia Tech moves on to the WNIT Championship to play against Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Tip-off is set for noon PST on Saturday and the game can be watched on the CBS Sports Network.