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| Wartburg College rolled through the American Rivers Conference with an 18-0 overall record. Photo by Julie Drewes, Wartburg College |
Three sets of Knights upset top-seeded favorites on the road and claimed automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament, while the Knights of Wartburg and Southern Virginia completed their sweep through conference play and into the Big Dance. Plus, three teams punched their first ever ticket to the Big Dance.
- Saturday scoreboard: Men | Women
- Men's conference tournament tracker
- Women's conference tournament tracker
Teams sitting on the bubble and hoping for an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament took a hit early Saturday afternoon when Mount St. Mary knocked off Merchant Marine in the Skyline Conference title game, 81-76, in overtime.
Merchant Marine entered the day in good position to get an at-large bid and favorites to win the Skyline title after going 20-0 in conference play. The Mariners held a six-point lead with two minutes left in regulation before Mount St. Mary scored six straight, tying the game at 65-all. Both teams had a shot to win at the end of regulation but missed, and the teams went to overtime for the third time this season.
After falling behind early in the extra period, Mount St. Mary took control with a 10-0 run capped by two free throws by Casey Love. The Mariners pulled within three but Brianna Guglielmo calmly splashed in two free throws, and the Knights kept the Mariners at bay the rest of the way.
Guglielmo finished with 29 points and six steals in 43 minutes for the Knights (17-10), who return to the NCAA Tournament after a one-year absence. Carolae Barton and Emily Grasselar combined for 43 points, 25 points and six blocks for Merchant Marine (24-2).
After losing to Brockport in the regular season finale that determined hosting rights for the Empire 8 tournament, SUNY Geneseo went on the road and closed that tournament with a 66-63 win over the Golden Eagles. The fourth quarter had two ties and six lead changes, the last coming when Mackenzie Riegel hit a pull-up jumper as part of a 6-0 personal run that put the Knights in front, 60-59. The teams traded fouls and made free throws in the final minute with Kiley Snow’s two free throws sealing the win for the Knights.
Reigle finished with 21 points, five assists and four steals for SUNY Geneseo (22-6), which won the Empire 8 in the program’s first year in the conference. Brockport (24-4), which also moved into the conference this season, will likely get an at-large bid and burst someone else’s bubble.
That bubble looked like it would take another hit when Coe went in front of No. 13 Wartburg in the ARC title game, but the Knights rallied past Coe, 61-55. After Coe took a 40-30 lead early in the third quarter on Taylor Brunson’s layup, Wartburg scored the next 11 points and the game was close the rest of the way. The Knights scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and flipped a three-point deficit to a 52-48 lead. Lauren Woeste made four free throws in the final 35 seconds to send Wartburg (25-2) to the NCAA tournament for the 18th time.
Southern Virginia stifled Brevard, 57-45, securing the USA South Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and staying out of the at-large pool. The Knights held the Tornados to 14 field goals against 15 turnovers and got 22 points from Addison Newman, mostly from behind the arc where she went 5 for 12. The Knights (26-2) have won 24 straight.
One night after ousting rival Hope from the MIAA tournament, Calvin dropped No. 11 Trine, 70-57, and completed its surprising run to the NCAA Tournament.
The Knights led from start to finish and started to open a more comfortable lead in the Thunder in the second quarter. Anna Fernandez’s three-pointer capped an 18-4 Calvin run and gave the Knights a 38-24 halftime lead. Trine battled back within three late in the third quarter, only to see Fernandez end that quarter with another three and then Knights ended the game on another 10-2 surge.
After going 0-4 against Hope and Trine in the regular season, Calvin (18-10) claims the MIAA’s automatic bid. Trine (24-3) is in good shape for an at-large bid.
Southern Virginia stifled Brevard, 57-45, securing the USA South Athletic Conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and staying out of the at-large pool. The Knights held the Tornados to 14 field goals against 15 turnovers and got 22 points from Addison Newman, mostly from behind the arc where she went 5 for 12. The Knights (26-2) have won 24 straight.
Not every Knight had a happy ending on Saturday.
Wisconsin Lutheran held off the St. Norbert Green Knights, 57-54, and captured the NACC automatic bid. The Warriors did most of their scoring from behind the arc (9-for-27 from three) and the foul line (16 for 20). St. Norbert scored three times in the final 30 seconds to pull within one point of Wisconsin Lutheran, but each time the Warriors made two free throws and pushed the lead back to three. Margie Stevens’ free throws gave the Warriors a 57-54 lead and then WLC prevented St. Norbert from attempting a game-tying three.
No. 5 Whitman preserved someone's at-large bid and completed an impressive run to the NCAA Tournament with a 48-45 win at home over George Fox in the NWC title game. Natalie Lundberg's layup gave the Blues a 48-41 lead with 2:57 to play and that proved to be all Whitman needed. George Fox managed just four free throws the rest of the way and missed a game-tying three-point attempt. Whitman (26-1) will enter the NCAA Tournament with its lone loss coming against NAIA member Lewis-Clark State back in December.
After losing to No. 10 UW-Oshkosh twice in overtime during the regular season, No. 25 UW-Whitewater broke through and beat the Titans, 64-61, in the WIAC tournament final. Oshkosh trailed by 15 at the half and 10 at the start of the fourth quarter before rallying within one on Mallory Hoitink’s layup with 1:48 to play. After the Warhawks pushed the lead to three, Kate Huml hit a jumper pulling Oshkosh within one at 62-61 with four seconds left. Kacie Carollo absorbed the Oshkosh foul and sank both free throws and the Titans missed their game-tying three-point attempt.
Carollo finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds for the Warhawks (22-6), who secured their 23rd NCAA tournament bid. Oshkosh (23-4), which was led by Sammi Beyer’s 27 points in 29 minutes, is a lock for an at-large bid.
No. 18 Randolph-Macon overcame another phenomenal performance from Mary Schleusner in the ODAC tournament and knocked off No. 20 Washington and Lee, 65-58, for the ODAC crown. Schleusner notched 31 points and 22 rebounds in 40 minutes and accounted for more than half of the Generals' made field goals (13 of 24). But Randolph-Macon got a near triple-double from Catherine Kagey (25 points, 10 rebounds, seven steals) and double-digit scoring performances from Sam Smith and McKenzie Matheny, and that more balanced attack carried the Yellow Jackets to victory.
Randolph-Macon (27-1) will enter the NCAA Tournament as ODAC champions, sporting a 26-game winning streak.
Recap continues below
Familiar faces book return Tournament trips
| Scranton will make its 12 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance after winning its 10th consecutive Landmark Conference title. Photo by Timmy Drewes |
No. 4 Scranton started strong and then blew away No. 15 Catholic, 85-62, in a game between two teams that will both make the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Royals led 20-10 after one period and then hit five three-pointers in a 27-point second quarter. Four Scranton starters scored double figures, led by Meghan Lamanna who had 21 points.
The Lady Royals (26-1) get the Landmark Conference’s automatic bid and make their 37th NCAA Tournament appearance, and 12th in a row, while Catholic (24-4) and Elizabethtown will get at-large bids.
In a rematch of last year's CCIW title game, No. 3 Illinois Wesleyan made sure history didn't repeat itself. Tthe Titans opened up a double-digit lead in the first quarter and went on to beat Carroll, 95-86. Illinois Wesleyan shot 59 percent and scored 23 points in the first quarter, setting the pace for the rest of the game. Lauren Huber scored 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Mallory Powers added 22 points and four blocks for IWU (26-1), which qualified for its 16th NCAA Tournament and its seventh in eight years. Olivia Rangel and Natalie Gricius combined for 48 points for Carroll (18-9).
No. 7 Baldwin Wallace completed its flawless run through the OAC by beating Ohio Northern, 64-60, for the Yellow Jackets’ ninth conference crown. Baldwin Wallace outscored the Polar Bears 30-6 from behind the arc, with Kaycie Badylak coming off the bench to hit four three-pointers and lead the Yellow Jackets with 16 points. After losing to Washington and Jefferson in the season opener, the Yellow Jackets have won 26 straight.
No. 8 Christopher Newport outscored Mary Washington by 13 in the fourth quarter, and that was the difference in the Captains’ 61-48 win over the Eagles in the Coast-to-Coast tournament finale. The Captains took a 49-46 lead on back-to-back threes by Hailey Kellogg and Camille Malagar and then held UMW to one field goal the rest of the way. Malagar and her childhood friend Gabbi San Diego combined for 28 points for Christopher Newport (26-1), which will make its 25th NCAA Tournament appearance.
DePauw booked its 24th trip to the NCAA Tournament by grinding past Wittenberg, 46-44, in a defensive struggle between the NCAC's Tiger twosome. The teams combined for eight points in the second quarter, and DePauw led 18-15 at the half. After Ava Hassel's three pointer gave DePauw a 45-44 lead, Wittenberg had three chances to tie or take the lead and came up empty. Olivia Hart posted 11 points and 18 rebounds for DePauw (20-6) which won its ninth NCAC title.
La Roche overwhelmed Penn State-Behrend in the fourth quarter and defeated the Nittany Lions, 67-55, for another AMCC Title. The Red Hawks outscored Behrend 25-12 in the final period, mostly from the foul line where La Roche went 17 for 23 in that period alone. Jazmine Dunn poured in 26 points for La Roche (22-5), which has reached the NCAA Tournament 11 times.
Haley Burchhardt scored 26 points and grabbed 11 rebounds to lead Bridgewater State past Framingham State, 76-65, in the MASCAC tournament final. Burchhardt hit four threes and scored 14 points in the opening period and the Bears led the rest of the way. Bridgewater State (19-6) will make its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance.
Cortland secured ninth SUNYAC title and its 14th NCAA Tournament bid with a 68-49 win over SUNY New Paltz in the SUNYAC championship game. The Red Dragons, who also beat the Hawks for the SUNYAC men's title, shot 51 percent from the field and held SUNY New Paltz to 27 percent shooting (19 for 70). Jackie Funk took home Tournament MVP honors for with 19 points for Cortland (24-3).
Rubber matches are for the birds
| Syd Hauger and Gustavus Adolphus overpowered Bethel in Saturday's MIAC title game. Photo by Ryan Coleman, d3photography.com |
Montclair State avenged its loss to TCNJ in the regular season finale by knocking off the Lions in the NJAC title game, 72-63. The Red Hawks scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed, but TCNJ kept things close and pulled with four points at 64-60 on Amanda Blaylock's jumper with 3:25 to play. Olivio Vera restored the Red Hawks lead to six with two free throws and then blocked TCNJ's shot on the ensuing possession. Montclair State effectively put the game away with a 52-second possession in which the Red Hawks grabbed three offensive rebounds and eventually got a free throw from Briana Montajes.
Vero led Montclair State (24-3) with 24 points and 10 rebounds. The Red Hawks have now won seven NJAC championships under head coach Karin Harvey, this one coming after Montclair State went 6-12 in conference last season.
Ripon won its rubber match with Grinnell in convincing fashion, as the Red Hawks ripped through the Pioneers, 67-47, and into the NCAA Tournament. Ellen Ten Pas racked up 26 points, seven rebounds, and five blocks for Ripon, which held Grinnell to 28 percent shooting (14 for 50) and outscored the Pioneers 46-14 in the paint.
Endicott played its way off the bubble and into the NCAA Tournament with a 64-58 win at Western England in the championship game for the College of New England Conference. Sarah Dempsey scored 11 of her game-high 21 points in the fourth quarter, including a three-point play with 1:19 left that ended up the game-winning basket. Endicott (22-5) took two out of three games from WNEU, with the road team once again winning all three.
After No. 6 Gustavus Adolphus and No. 24 Bethel split their two regular season meetings, with each winning on the road, the Royals got the top seed in the MIAC tournament via a coin toss. Having home court provided no advantage -- the Gusties went to Adren Hills and beat Bethel, 66-53, for the title. Gustavus made just one three-pointer, but the Gusties converted 21 Bethel turnovers into 25 points and led for most of the game. Emma Kniefel scored 19 points for Gustavus Adolphus (27-1), which went 23 for 30 from the foul line.
Cal Lutheran had four starters score double figures, and the Regals will reign the SCIAC after beating Whittier, 73-61. Alline Ballard scored 13 points and grabbed 17 rebounds while Janna Holley added 17 points in 40 minutes for Cal Lutheran (21-6), who lost at Whittier early in the season. Lorita Salloom posted 15 points and 16 rebounds for the Poets (21-5).
Presidents, Colonels break through
| Washington and Jefferson celebrates its seventh PAC women's basketball championship. Photo by Stephen Rydzak |
Washington and Jefferson entered this week's PAC Tournament as the top seed, just as it did the past two seasons. Those campaigns ended with losses to Chatham in 2023 and Grove City in 2024, and the Presidents missed the NCAA Tournament both seasons despite going a combined 47-6.
This season's conference tournament ended with celebration for the Presidents when W&J defeated Chatham, 59-50, and secured the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. The Presidents took charge early, leading 24-11 after the first period. Chatham came back and briefly took the lead twice in the third quarter, but Adalynn Cherry started and ended a 6-0 run that put the Presidents back in front, 45-39. Bryn Bezjak and Cherry hit back-to-back threes with a minute left, and Cherry closed the game with two free throws, giving her 19 points in 40 minutes for Washington and Jefferson (23-4).
After enduring disappointing Championship Saturdays the last three seasons, Mass-Dartmouth had plenty of room to enjoy a 94-50 romp over Southern Maine in the Little East Conference championship game. The Corsairs led the entire game, thanks in part to Jane McCauley’s stellar shooting performance. She went 11 for 14 with 10 three-pointers, scoring 32 points in 23 minutes.
Centre shot 25 fewer free throws than Milsaps but converted a much higher percentage, and the Colonels topped the Majors 61-57 in the SAA title game. Centre made 11 of its 13 free throw attempts (85 percent), including six in the final 45 seconds, while Millsaps went 22 for 38 (58 percent) from the charity stripe. Centre’s KaNiah Edelen scored the go-ahead basket and followed it with two late free throws, as the Colonels secured its first NCAA tournament bid since 2012.
East Texas Baptist hit six 3-pointers in the second period and 10 in the game, and the Tigers roared past Hardin-Simmons, 78-67, for the ASC's title and automatic bid. Madison Hurta made three triples in the Tigers' second quarter barrage and finished with a team-high 18 points for ETBU (23-4). Jacqueline Berry scored 22 points and hauled in 11 rebounds for the Cowgirls (19-8) who sit on the bubble for an at-large bid.
Stevens started the season 3-4, but will finish it in the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks shut down defending champions DeSales, 54-47, and won their first MAC Freedom title. Stevens held DeSales to 22 percent shooting and enjoyed another big performance from Leyla Castro (25 points, six rebounds, six assists), who was named Tournament MVP.
UW-Superior got off to an even slower start, going 3-7 before the holiday break, but the Yellowjackets also finished as conference champions, beating Northwestern (Minn.), 54-47, for the UMAC title. Katie Dobson gave UW-Superior a 47-45 lead with a three pointer and then Elise Besonen extended the Yellowjackets lead to four with two free throws. Dobson added three more free throws, sealing Superior's win. Besonen led the way with 28 points and seven boards for UW-Superior (17-10).
First time for everything
| What does it look like when a Fighting Tiger dances? We'll find out next weekend! Photo by Matt Williams |
Principia completed a stunning rally past defending SLIAC champions Webster and into the NCAA Tounament for the first time in program history, as Hannah Meyers scored a breakaway layup at the buzzer to put the Beavers over the top, 69-67. Webster led 67-65 with 24 seconds left but Trinniti Matthews grabbed an offensive rebound off a missed three found Genesis Santiago for the game-tying jumper.
Webster rushed down the court to try to retake the lead and missed. Carolina Rojas grabbed the rebound and threw a long outlet pass to Meyers who streaked down the court for the game winner.
Principia (17-11) shot 56 percent in the final period.
SUNY-Cobleskill will also make its NCAA Tournament debut next weekend because the Fighting Tigers edged Maine Maritime, 55-53, for the NAC’s automatic bid. SUNY-Cobleskill led 55-48 with two minutes to play and then withstood the Mariners’ rally. Maine Maritime pulled within two with 34 seconds to play, but Logan Thayne secured an offensive rebound off her own miss and the Fighting Tigers ran out the clock. Taylor Meacham scored 24 points for SUNY-Cobleskill (24-4).
St. Joseph (Conn.) secured its first trip ever to the NCAA Tournament, as the Blue Jays topped St. Joseph’s (Maine), 66-59, in the GNAC tournament finale. The Blue Jays led for most of the game and were nearly perfect from the foul line where they shot 14 for 15. Maya Slisz paced the Jays with 17 points, seven assists and six rebounds.
The CCS handed out its first automatic bid to Piedmont after the top-seeded Lions defeated Belhaven, 64-51. The game turned midway through the second quarter when Piedmont went on a 22-0 run that lasted through the midway point of the third quarter. Nae Nae Eades took home Tournament MVP honors by scoring a career-high 20 points, mostly from the foul line where she went 18 for 22.
Raj Guettler’s buzzer beater lifted Gallaudet over St. Mary’s (Md.) 71-70 in overtime of the UEC championship game, sending the Bison back to the NCAA tournament. Guettler briefly gave Gallaudet a 67-65 lead with 1:38 left in overtime on her made jumper, but Kiera Mason answered to tie the game for the Seahawks. After Gallaudet scored again, St. Mary’s took a 70-69 lead with three seconds left. The Bison got the ball to Guettler who scored her game-high 11th field goal to win the game
Immaculata completed a perfect run through the Atlantic East Conference by beating Neumann, 63-46, in the conference’s title game. The Mighty Macs held Neumann to 2-for-11 shooting in the first quarter and controlled the game the rest of the way. Carly Coleman posted a double-double for Immaculata (22-3) with 13 points and 12 rebounds.