BETHLEHEM, Pa. (Mar. 16, 2019) - The ultimate goal has been reached.

The No. 1 ranked and top-seeded Hostos Community College women's basketball team put the exclamation point on its magical season with its second-straight NJCAA Division III National Championship with a 73-63 win over third-seeded Owens Community College on Saturday at the Arthur L. Scott Center at Northampton Community College in Bethlehem.

The Caimans, who close out their historic 2018-19 campaign at 29-5, are the first team to capture back-to-back national titles since Rock Valley College in 2012 and 2013.

"This feels good, because these girls worked so hard all year long," Hostos Head Coach DeVernie Winston stated. "For them to actually achieve the one thing that they set out for, it is just an amazing feeling. It is still taking time for me to soak it all in. I am so happy for the girls."

"It feels great. The team played really hard. I am just happy we prevailed. We got through it as a team," said Caimans' sophomore guard Skydajah Patterson, the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Sophomore forward Kayla Wilson, the 2018 NJCAA National Tournament MVP, echoed similar sentiments: "It feels amazing. A lot of teams don't even get the chance to come to the national tournament, let alone win it twice. That's different right there."

Leading 12-10 late in the first quarter, Hostos closed out the period on a 7-0 burst to widen the gap to a nine-point difference at 19-10. Patterson and freshman center Apilyn Bonny each netted a lay-up in the run. Sophomore guard Ellease Billings also added a bucket, on a tip-in.

Owens managed to cut the deficit to two possessions (23-17) in the second quarter, before a furious 12-2 burst by Hostos put the Caimans ahead by double digits more than midway through the session. Sophomore guard Regine Blakney nailed back-to-back three-pointers to close out the run, making it a 35-19 game.

Hostos, which eventually took a 42-24 advantage into halftime, went up by as many as 20 points in the contest, as the reigning national champions coasted to their second-consecutive title.

Blakney and Patterson scored 15 points apiece in the victory. Wilson posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Billings had nine points on 4-of-7 shooting.