Point Lookout, MO – Second-seeded College of the Ozarks won their second NCCAA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship in the last three years, defeating #1 Mission University on their home court 75-62 on Saturday, March 22.
 
Championship: #2 College of the Ozarks 75, #1 Mission University 62

• The contest opened with a great show of sportsmanship, as, despite suffering an injury in Thursday’s semifinals, Brooklyn Luna scored the first basket of the game for Mission. College of the Ozarks answered with a layup and the game started 2-2.
• College of the Ozarks took an early 10-6 lead, but a three from Cassidy Hambelton and a jumper by Heaven Shockley put Mission ahead 11-10. The run continued for the Patriots, with Josie Sullivan nailing a three before Hambelton added one of her own to swell the lead to 21-12 for Mission. Susanna Moran started to get going for the Bobcats, converting on an and-one opportunity before hitting a jumper at the end of the frame, cutting Mission’s lead to 23-19 after one.
• College of the Ozarks opened the second stanza on a 14-2 run, and a pair of corner threes from Avery Arnold and a Logan Jones jumper put the Bobcats ahead 33-25 with 7:31 left in the second quarter. Ireland Jones connected on an and-one chance to stop the run, but Blythe Benefield nailed a jumper off an acrobatic pass from Moran to keep the Bobcats ahead. Hambelton nailed two floaters at the end of the frame, but Keara Mattingley connected on a pair of layups to keep College of the Ozarks on top 43-32 at the break.
• Mission opened the second half with a run of their own, as Josie Sullivan nailed a three-pointer out of the gate, before her and Jones added two more layups to cut the Bobcat lead to 43-39. Moran got College of the Ozarks on the board with a layup, and then Sullivan hit another three to stay within striking distance, before a jumper from Benefield kept the Bobcats ahead 50-42. Taylor Rush hit a layup to swell the lead to double digits before a Sullivan jumper cut into the Bobcat advantage, and College of the Ozarks took a 54-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
• A pair of threes from Shockley and Hambelton got the Patriots back into the game, and a jumper from Hambelton after forcing a ten-second violation cut College of the Ozarks lead down to 59-54 with 6:08 left in the contest. After a timeout, the Bobcats answered with a steal and score from Jones, before Benefield found Moran inside to put CofO back up by 10, and another Moran bucket with 90 seconds left iced it, and College of the Ozarks claimed the national championship with a 75-62.
• Benefield led CofO with 20 points and hauled down seven boards and recorded three steals. Moran finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.

 
Third Place Game: #6 Oakland City University 75, #5 Asbury University 73, OT
 
In a rematch of the Mideast Regional Final, it was #6 Oakland City University coming out on top, outlasting #5 Asbury University 75-73 in overtime to give the Mighty Oaks a third-place finish at the 2025 NCCAA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship.

• Both teams were locked in a defensive battle early, with 10 combined turnovers through the first four minutes. A three from Emilee Hope got Oakland City going, and a driving layup from Kyrisha Hay gave the Mighty Oaks the lead before a shot from the corner by Juleigh Anne Tucker tied the contest at nine points apiece. After Tucker and Hope traded shots from distance, Hay scored six straight points for OCU, and Oakland City took a 20-12 lead after the first quarter.
• Ellen Meeringa started the second quarter strong for the Oaks, nailing a pair of threes in the corner and then breaking the Asbury press to put Oakland City ahead 28-18. Hope scored a pair of buckets to keep the Oaks up 10, but a three from Haleigh Releford got the lead down to single digits. Hay beat the buzzer with a jumper in the paint, and Oakland City took a 40-33 lead into the intermission.
• Jumpers from Camryn Preston and Releford cut the Oakland City lead down to just three, before a triple from Hope and a driving layup Monesjia Harvey put the Mighty Oaks ahead 51-44 halfway through the third period. Both teams would go cold from the floor in the final 3:28 of the third quarter, until a last second jumper from Preston got the Eagles within two, and Asbury trailed just 53-51 heading to the fourth.
• The two rivals traded shots in the final frame, as layups from Hay and Emily Sizemore kept Oakland City’s lead at 60-57 with 4:45 remaining in the contest. With 4:01 left in the game, a jumper from Preston gave Asbury a 61-60 lead, and the two teams traded the advantage until a pair of free throws from Morgan Flannery put the Eagles ahead 65-63. A jumper from Rylan Kalb tied the game with 44 seconds left, and a shot by Asbury fell short, sending the contest to overtime tied at 65.
• The overtime period saw points come from the free throw line exclusively to start, but a layup from Harvey put the Mighty Oaks up 73-68 in the overtime period. Five straight points from Preston tied the game with 38 seconds left, but a foul sent Harvey to the charity stripe with five seconds left, and she connected on both shots to put the Mighty Oaks ahead 75-73. A prayer at the horn went wide for Asbury, and Oakland City held on to claim third place.
• Hay paced Oakland City with 23 points and had four rebounds, while Harvey added six points and ten boards. Preston finished the contest with 27 points for Asbury, shooting 9-for-11 from the field.

 
Susanna Moran from College of the Ozarks was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player. The rest of the All-Tournament Team 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.