Point Lookout, MO – Action tipped-off at the 2025 NCCAA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship, with #1 Mission University, #2 College of the Ozarks, #5 Asbury University, and #6 Oakland City University all collecting wins in the first round.
 
#5 Asbury University 70, #4 Houghton University 43.
 
Fifth-seeded Asbury University put on a defensive clinic, recording 23 steals as the Eagles rolled to a 70-43 win over #4 Houghton University

• Both squads came out firing in the first quarter, thanks to threes from Ma’Kyiah West and Hannah Farley. A pair of jumpers from Liz Boyd pushed the Asbury advantage to double digits, and another corner three from West had the Eagles rolling, up 24-13 at the end of the first quarter. 
• The second quarter was a defensive slugfest between the two, as an Emily Sizemore jumper didn’t break the seal until the 7:49 mark of the second frame, and Asbury forced five Highlander turnovers in the first three minutes. The Eagles kept up their form from the field, ending the half on a 15-7 run, and a Trinity Britton triple gave Asbury a 41-22 advantage at the break.
• West picked up right where she left off in the third quarter, hitting a pair of threes to spark a 10-0 run for Asbury. A pair of makes from deep by Kayla Camacho and Abby Guiher started a run for the Highlanders, but a triple by Juleigh Anne Tucker and a steal and score from Camryn Poole ended the run, and Asbury led 58-30 at the end of the third. 
• The Eagles continued to roll in the fourth quarter, starting the period on a 6-0 run. Another West three kept Asbury in control
• Asbury forced 32 Houghton turnovers and recorded 23 steals. That steals mark is ties NCCAA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship record of 23 steals forced by Bethesda University against Point in 2016.

 
#1 Mission University 70, #8 Ohio Christian University 53
 
Big days from Cassidy Hambelton and Heaven Shockley helped push top-seeded Mission University over #8 Ohio Christian University 70-53 and into the semifinals.

• Ohio Christian opened the scoring, as a pair of buckets from JoLeigh Hamilton put the Trail Blazers ahead 9-4, but a steal and score from Hambelton tied the game at 11 apiece. The Blazers ended the opening stanza on a 10-3 run, as a trio of Ashley DeWeese buckets put OCU on top 24-16.
• Mission opened the second quarter on a run of their own, holding Ohio Christian without a point for 7:28 of game time, and a Shockley bucket put the Patriots ahead 28-27. A last second jumper from Josie Sullivan gave Mission the lead 32-29 at the break.
• The third quarter was a back-and-forth affair, with the two sides trading big buckets and making important stops. Karlie Sampson made the plays of the game in the third quarter, hitting a corner three and then taking a charge in the lane, leading to a three-pointer from Shockley, as Mission took a 47-42 lead into the fourth quarter.
• Shockley and Hambelton continued to roll in the final frame, as a 10-0 run by the Patriots widened the gap, and a Brooklyn Luna jumper iced the contest, giving Mission the 70-53 win.
• Hambelton finished the game with 16 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and seven steals. The steals mark is just two shy of the NCCAA Tournament record of nine set by Kelly Lory of MidAmerica Nazarene against Roberts Wesleyan. Shockley finished with 25 points and 17 rebounds for the Patriots.

 
#6 Oakland City University 60, #3 Clinton College 51
 
Six-seeded Oakland City University held #3 Clinton College to just 20 points in the second half, knocking off the Golden Bears 60-51 to move on to the semifinals.

• Oakland City opened hot from beyond the arc, nailing a pair of threes thanks to Ellen Meeringa and Emilee Hope, but a layup by Kayla Pope after passing the ball off the back of a defender helped Clinton cut the lead to 16-12. Monesjia Harvey added a bucket for the Mighty Oaks, and Oakland City took a 20-14 advantage into the second quarter.
• It was the Golden Bears who came out with paws blazing in the second quarter, as a 13-4 burst thanks to Diamond Moore-Heath, Kourtney English, and Tameah Gaddis put Clinton ahead 29-24. English added another score before the break, and Clinton headed into the locker room on top 31-28.
• Oakland City started the third like they started the first, as a Hope triple and shots from Kyrisha Hay and Gabrielle Joyner put the Oaks ahead 39-37. The Mighty Oaks clamped down on defense the rest of the quarter, holding Clinton to just 18.8 percent from the field in the stanza to push Oakland City’s lead to 46-40 after three.
• The Mighty Oaks continued to pull away in the fourth, with another Hope three and a breakaway layup by Hay put Oakland City ahead by double digits. A three-pointer from Gaddis halfway through the quarter cut the Oakland City lead to single digits, but a big layup from Taylor Williams kept the Golden Bears at bay, and the Mighty Oaks upset Clinton 60-51.
• Hope lead Oakland City with 16 points and drained four three-pointers. Despite the loss, Moore-Heath paced Clinton with 18 points and 10 rebounds.

 
#2 College of the Ozarks 77, #7 University of Northwestern 54
 
Swarming defense and tough rebounding was the name of the game for #2 College of the Ozarks, as the Bobcats knocked off #7 University of Northwestern 77-54 to punch their ticket to the semifinals.

• College of the Ozarks opened with a quick 9-3 burst thanks to Blythe Benefield and Susie Moran, before a jumper by Jasmine Sondrol and a three-ball from Taylor Christenson cut the Bobcat lead down to 9-8. The Bobcats would hold Northwestern without a point for the final 5:41 of the opening stanza, as a Keara Mattingley jumper put C of O ahead 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
• A jumper from Sondrol broke the seal again for UNW in the second quarter, but a Taylor Rush three put the Bobcats back ahead 20-12. A three from Reese Sellars and a jumper by Ella Falk cut the C of O advantage to 28-26, but an 8-0 scoring run from Rush and Logan Jones put College of the Ozarks ahead 36-26 at the intermission.
• The Bobcat defense continued to lock down UNW, opening the second half on an 16-2 run thanks in part to an and-one play from Moran and a shot from distance by Abbey Linville. Shots from Lexi Garcia and Ryann Eddy got the Eagles back in the game for a moment, before an Avery Arnold three and a Mattingly layup squelched the rally, and College of the Ozarks took a 63-43 advantage into the final frame.
• College of the Ozarks continued to roll along in the fourth, with Abigail McBride and Moran picking up a pair of buckets as the Bobcats held UNW to 14.3% from the field in the final quarter, rolling to the 77-54 victory.
• Jones led College of the Ozarks with 15 points while adding five rebounds and four steals. Moran recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, with nine of those boards coming in the first quarter. 

 
Action continues tomorrow, March 20, with a pair of consolation round games tipping off at 8:30 am CT. The semifinals will tip off in the afternoon, beginning at 3:30 pm CT. Box scores, live stats, and streaming, along with a full schedule can be found here.
 
About the NCCAA
Established in 1968, the National Christian College Athletic Association uses intercollegiate athletics to further the Great Commission and is committed to equipping student-athletes and coaches to make a positive impact for Christ. The NCCAA currently holds 23 national championship events, along with two national invitationals for 92 member schools across 28 states and two Canadian provinces. For more information on the NCCAA, visit our website, thenccaa.org, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter/X, and Instagram at @thenccaa.