Complex sentence: The 1996--97 team finished the regular season on a school record 19-game winning streak, and in the 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, against the fifth-seeded, the team lost 55--52.
Split into simpler sentences: The 1996--97 team finished the regular season on a school record 19-game winning streak. In the 1997 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, against the fifth-seeded, the team lost 55--52.