Point Lookout, MO – Top seeds Mission University and College of the Ozarks punched their tickets to the 2025 NCCAA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship, picking up a pair of wins in the semifinals on Thursday, March 20.
 
Semifinal: #1 Mission University 71, #5 Asbury University 60
 
Josie Sullivan flirted with a quadruple-double and stuffed the stat sheet, as #1 Mission University held off #5 Asbury University 71-60 to punch their ticket to the 2025 NCCAA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship game.

• The two teams traded the lead for a bit in the opening stanza, but a Brooklyn Luna three pushed Mission ahead 11-6. Asbury answered with jumpers from Liz Boyd and Trinity Britton, but a pair of steals and scores by Josie Sullivan put the Patriots up 15-12 at the end of the first quarter.
•  Both squads opened the second frame with three-point plays, as Cassidy Hambelton completed an and-one opportunity for Mission while Haleigh Releford drained a three-pointer for Asbury. A pair of shots from downtown by Laney Humble and a score from Karlie Sampson pushed the lead to 30-17 for Mission halfway through the second quarter. The Patriots continued to pull away, and a last second three-ball from Luna put Mission ahead 38-23 at halftime.
• Asbury came out strong in the third quarter, as Emily Sizemore and Ma’Kyiah West both hit big buckets to cut the deficit to single digits. Strong takes from Camryn Preston got the Eagles within five, but fastbreak layups from Hambelton and Sampson kept the Patriots ahead. A steal and score from Sullivan kept Asbury at bay, and another three from Hambelton kept Mission on top 59-51 going to the fourth quarter.
• Both defenses opened the final stanza strong, but Mission broke through thanks to a driving layup from Sampson, and a pair of jumpers by Sullivan put the Patriots back up by double digits. Another jumper late in the game from Sullivan gave her 2,000 points for her career, and the Patriots clinched a spot in the national championship game with a 71-60 win.
• Sullivan did it all for Mission, scoring 16 points, pulling down 12 rebounds, dishing out six assists, and tallying six steals while also recording a block.

 
Semifinal: #2 College of the Ozarks 76, #6 Oakland City University 71
 
Clutch buckets in the fourth quarter helped #2 College of the Ozarks complete the come-from-behind victory, knocking off #6 Oakland City University 76-71 to clinch a spot in the semifinals. 

• It took a while for either side to lift the lid off the cylinder early, but a jumper from Susie Moran and a triple by Logan Jones gave College of the Ozarks an early 10-3 lead. An Ellen Meeringa shot from distance for Oakland City back in the game, but the Bobcats continued to work inside as layups from Moran and Blythe Benefield put C of O on top 16-8 at the end of the first quarter.
• The Bobcats continued to work hard in the paint, picking up scores from Moran and Jones inside. Emilee Hope hit a triple for the Mighty Oaks, but a three-ball from Taylor Rush and a tough putback from Moran gave College of the Ozarks a 31-20 lead at the break.
• Oakland City opened the third quarter on a quick seven-point scoring burst, thanks in part to scores from Courtney Dove and Monesjia Harvey, before a jumper from Taylor Williams cut the Bobcat lead down to 41-35. A trio of shots from beyond the arc by Hope, Rhylan Kalb, and Gabrielle Joyner cut the Bobcats lead to just two late in the period, and a steal and score by Kyrisha Hay gave the Mighty Oaks a 48-47 lead. A Hope jumper put Oakland City ahead by three, but Moran beat the buzzer for the end of the quarter, and the Bobcats trailed 50-49 heading into the final period.
• College of the Ozarks retook the lead early in the fourth off a Logan Jones three-pointer, but a jumper from Kalb put the Mighty Oaks back ahead 55-52 with 6:54 left in the game. Both sides traded shots, with Oakland City holding on to a one-point lead, before three straight scores from Benefield put C of O ahead 67-66 with 1:28 left in the contest, and and-one layup by Abbey Linville extended the lead to 70-66 with 1:00 remaining. A three from Hope kept the Mighty Oaks in the game, but the Bobcats made their free throws down the stretch to clinch the 76-71 victory.
• Moran led the way for the Cats with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Benefield added 16 points and eight boards.

 
Consolation: #4 Houghton University 68, #8 Ohio Christian University 63
 
In a tightly contested battle, #4 Houghton University held off a pesky #8 Ohio Christian University squad, knocking off the Trailblazers for a 68-63 win.

• The two squads traded buckets early in the contest, with Kayla Camacho and Ashley DeWeese answering each other with a pair of threes. A jumper from Tabitha DeVries put Houghton ahead, and another triple at the buzzer from Camacho gave the Highlanders a 19-12 lead after the first quarter.
• Camacho and DeVries nailed a pair of jumpers in the second quarter to swell the Houghton advantage, but a layup from Amiyah Tull and a triple by DeWeese cut the Highlander lead down to three. Both teams would lock down on defense, as neither team scored a point in the final 3:41 of the quarter, but another three-pointer from Camacho pushed Houghton ahead 29-25 at the intermission.
• The threes continued to fall for both teams in the third, as triples from Ohio Christian’s Tull and Emma Koons were answered by three-balls from Houghton’s Crysta Lacrosse and Hannah Farley. Koons nailed two more shots from beyond the arc, and a jumper from JoLeigh Hamilton tied the contest at 43 points apiece. Both teams traded the lead for a bit, but a last second layup by DeVries gave Houghton a 49-48 advantage at the end of the third quarter.
• The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth affair, but a layup from Lily Shepherd gave Ohio Christian a 57-56 lead. Tied at 59, Houghton’s Lily Bentley came up big with a putback layup to give the Highlanders the lead. After Bentley nailed a pair of free throws, a triple from Ohio Christian cut the lead down to 64-63, and with a chance to tie, a pair of shots by the Trailblazers were off the mark, as Houghton held on for the 68-63 win.
• Camacho led the Highlanders with 25 points, while also dishing out five assists and pulling down six rebounds. DeVries added 23 points and collected seven boards, while Lacrosse fell just shy of a double-double, scoring 10 points and hauling down nine boards. Despite the loss, Koons scored 24 points, nailing five threes, and pulled in nine rebounds for Ohio Christian.

 
Consolation: #7 University of Northwestern 90, #3 Clinton College 64
 
Seventh-seeded University of Northwestern shot 50 percent from the floor and nailed 15 three-pointers, rolling over #3 Clinton College 90-64.

• Northwestern opened the contest on an 11-2 run, thanks to a pair of jumpers from Lexi Hagen and Ella Falk. The scoring run continued for the Eagles, as threes from Hagen, Grace Landvik, and Lexi Garcia pushed UNW to a 22-4 advantage. Falk drained two more triples, and Northwestern took a 28-6 lead after the first quarter.
• Diamond Moore-Heath opened the second quarter with a pair of makes for Clinton, but another pair of three-balls from Reese Sellers and Jasmine Sondrol swelled the Northwestern lead to 38-12. Two more jumpers from Moore-Heath sparked a short Clinton run, and an Akiyonna Joiner jumper cut into the UNW advantage, but a pair of free throws from Landvik at the end of the half gave the Eagles the 47-26 lead at the break.
• UNW continued to pour it on in the third quarter, with Lexi Garcia and Ryann Eddy dropping in a pair of shots from deep, along with jumpers from Sellers and Hagen, swelling ahead 798-44. The Eagles shot 10-15 from the floor and an impressive 6-9 from three in the period.
• Jabrica Leslie opened the fourth with a couple of makes for Clinton, but jumpers from Eddy and Landvik kept UNW in control, as the Eagles rolled to the 90-62 victory.
• Eight different players for Northwestern made a three-point basket, with Garcia making four of them to lead the team. Hagen made three shots from beyond the arc, leading the team with 15 points and recorded six rebounds.

Consolation bracket action will continue tomorrow, March 21, with the seventh and fifth place games. The seventh place game tips off at 1:00 P.M. CT, while the fifth place game tips at 5:00 P.M. CT. For a full schedule, box scores, live stats, and more, click 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.