Sunday: Last chance to make the Dance

More news about: Gettysburg | TCNJ | Trinity (Conn.) | Washington and Lee
Feb 28, 2026
 
Start spreading the 'Roos. Austin was the last team to clinch an automatic bid into the 2026 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament 
 

The Generals are marching into March Madness undefeated, while TCNJ claimed a title and busted a bubble, and Gettysburg denied Johns Hopkins a perfect season. On the men's side, the Macs, Celts and Bants all head to the Dance after winning their conference titles.

No. 4 Washington and Lee ended the ODAC title game on an 11-0 run, giving them a 27-0 record entering the NCAA Tournament, behind a 67-56 win over Randolph-Macon. Randolph-Macon hung tough and trailed by just one after McKenzy Matheny's three-point play with 3:35 left. Sarah Zimmerman pushed the Generals lead by to three with a layup and Mary Schleusner scored consecutive baskets to seal Washington and Lee's victory. Schleusner picked up her 26th double-double in 27 games, this time posting 31 points and 18 rebounds for W&L. Sam Smith led Randolph-Macon (21-7), which will also receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament, with 18 points and eight rebounds.

TCNJ turned the NJAC into a two-bid conference and busted someone’s hopes of receiving an at-large bid, as the Lions rolled over No. 23 William Paterson for the NJAC’s automatic bid, 78-55. The Lions shot 47 percent from the field with five players scoring double figures, including 16 off the bench from Riley Ahrens. Brooke McFadden had a double-double (14 points, 12 rebounds) and Amanda Blaylock and Grace Kowalski had seven assists apiece for TCNJ (17-10). Renee Wells scored 14 for William Paterson (25-2), which will now take one of the 21 at-large bids, but the Pioneers shot 2 for 17 from three.

The bubble looked like it would take another hit in the NEWMAC, but No. 7 Smith rallied past Clark in the fourth quarter, 72-65. The Bears fell behind 27-18 in the first quarter and still trailed by four entering the final period, before doubling up the Cougars, 22-11, in the final frame. Hannah Martin dazzled with 25 points on 8-for-14 shooting with four 3-pointers, plus five rebounds and four steals in 40 minutes for Smith (27-1).

Gettysburg went to Baltimore and denied No. 3 Johns Hopkins’ perfect run to the NCAA Tournament, as the Bullets defeated the Blue Jays, 68-59. The game turned late in the third quarter when Ava O’Neil’s three-pointer gave Gettysburg a 44-41 lead and sparked an 8-0 run. Johns Hopkins got as close as four at 53-49 on Layla Henderson’s basket midway through the fourth, but Reagan Chrencik responded with a three-point play for the Bullets who made enough free throws down the stretch to extend their lead to double digits.

Chrencik finished with 16 points, including 8-for-8 from the foul line, and nine rebounds for Gettysburg (21-6). Johns Hopkins (26-1) was already in position to get an at-large bid, though the loss could cost the Blue Jays a top four seed.

No. 15 Bates ended No. 8 Bowdoin’s long conference winning streak and defeated their rival in the NESCAC championship game, 61-56. After three tight quarters, the Bobcats opened a 12-point lead on back-to-back threes by Mya Hicks and Sarah Hughes. The Polar Bears battled back within five on Carly Davey’s three pointer with 1:48 to play but Hughes added two free throws to the Bates’ lead, and the Bobcats held on the rest of the way.

Hughes was terrific, scoring 24 points and grabbing seven rebounds with just two turnovers in 37 minutes for Bates (24-3). The loss is the first against a NESCAC foe for Bowdoin (24-2) since February 2, 2023, which was also a loss to Bates.

The last automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament was seized by Austin College when the Kangaroos bounced Hendrix in the SCAC tournament championship game, 55-44. Austin converted 19 Hendrix turnovers into 11 points and also had a 17-2 bench scoring advantage. Brooklyn Matthews led Austin (16-11) with 16 points.

In other women’s championship results…

Men's recap: Macs, Celts and Bants head to the Dance

Trinity (Conn.) fittingly celebrates its third consecutive NESCAC championship after beating rival Wesleyan in Sunday's title game.

The defending national champions will enter the 2026 Tournament as conference champs, as No. 2 Trinity (Conn.) topped rival No. 16 Wesleyan, 80-66. The Bantams dominated the second half, shooting 52 percent from the floor and scoring 50 points while holding the Cardinals to 24 points on 9-for-29 shooting (31 percent). Jarrel Okorougo led Trinity with 20 points and five rebounds, while Jared Berry chipped in 19 points in 20 minutes off the Bantams’ bench. After losing to Tufts and Wesleyan during the NESCAC’s abbreviated regular season, Trinity beat both by double digits this weekend.

Wesleyan will be safely into the Tournament field along with Tufts, Bates and likely Amherst, giving the NESCAC five representatives.

No. 3 St. Thomas (Texas) completed its dominant run through the SCAC with by defeating Concordia (Texas) in the tournament final, 92-74. The Celts were paced by 21 points apiece from Corey Thompson and Nicholas Buffalo, the latter of which also had 13 rebounds. St. Thomas (26-1) enters the NCAA Tournament on a 23-game winning streak.

Zevi Samet scored a game-high 36 points as Yeshiva survived a back-and-forth battle with Farmingdale State and defeated the Rams 79-72 for the Skyline Conference championship. Although the game featured 10 lead changes, the Maccabees (20-8) took the lead on a Samet three-pointer with 11:33 to play in the second half and never trailed again. Farmingdale (24-4) was led by Sean Conroy, who scored 19 points on 7-for-20 shooting. Samet needs just 22 points in the NCAA Tournament to reach the 2,500-point plateau for his career and is the No. 24 scorer all-time in Division III men's basketball history.
 
Gettysburg completed a masterful defensive performance in the Centennial Conference playoffs with a 51-47 win over Johns Hopkins. The Bullets, who held Franklin and Marshall to 45 points in the semfinals, won despite taking 11 fewer shots and converting just 15 field goals. Gettysburg outscored the Blue Jays 17-7 at the foul line, led by Reece Craft (18 points, 5 of 8 at the line) who took home Conference MVP honors.
 
The final game of the CNE tournament was a microcosm of the entire season with Endicott leading from start to finish. The Gulls defeated Western New England, 87-66, behind 51 percent shooting and Elijay Kinney’s double-double (23 points, 12 rebounds). Marcus Montagnino filled the stat sheet with 22 points, five rebounds, and four assists for Endicott (26-1), which swept through the regular season and playoffs.

In other championship results…