Sioux City, Iowa (NAIA, March 14) – Four more teams have secured their spot in the quarterfinals of the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship after winning their respective games during the Round of 16 held on Tuesday (14) at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. [All Results Here]
The winning teams on the say were Indiana Wesleyan, Dakota State (S.D.), Thomas More (Ky.), and Montana Western. The quarterfinal games are set to take place on Wednesday, March 15, starting at 11 a.m. CT.
In the first game of the day, Montana Western defeated Dordt (Iowa) 89-79. The Bulldogs found their stride in the third quarter, scoring from behind the arc four out of five trips down the floor. Montana Western’s Jordan Sweeney led all scorers with 24 points. Her teammate, Brynley Fitzgerald, followed with 22 points. Karly Gustafson of Dordt (Iowa) led the Defenders with 18 points in the contest.
In the second game, Thomas More (Ky.) defeated Cumberlands (Ky.) 91-61. The Saints used a 28-9 run in the second quarter to erase the five-point first-quarter deficit. Emily Simon of Thomas More (Ky.) had game-highs in both points (23) and rebounds (7). Kassie Monday of Cumberlands (Ky.) led the team with 17 points.
Dakota State (S.D.) defeated Carroll (Mont.) 82-72 in the third game of the day. Savannah Walsdorf of DSU led the team with 20 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double. Maddie Geritz of Carroll (Mont.) led all scorers with 24 points.
Indiana Wesleyan defeated Briar Cliff (Iowa) 88-77 in the final game of the day. Lilli Frasure led Indiana Wesleyan with her 17 points and eight rebounds. Jade Nutley of IWU followed with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double.
All games were evenly contested with both teams shooting around 40% from the floor. However, Montana Western had a higher percentage from the three-point range, going 15-of-24 (62.5%) during their game against Dordt. Dakota State had a remarkable performance on free throws, converting on 29-of-33 (87.9%) in their game against Carroll.
