Point Lookout, MO – The top two seeds in (1) College of the Ozarks and (2) Bethel University earn their way to the NCCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship set for Saturday evening after strong semifinal victories. Bethel defeated Sterling 76-63, while the host Ozarks would earn a 71-61 win over Cedarville. Tomorrow will serve as a consolation day with the seventh and fifth place games to be played. The third place game and championship will follow on Saturday, March 21 starting at noon CT. Follow all the action here.

Semifinal One: #2 Bethel University - 76 #3 Sterling College - 63

• Bethel opened the first semifinal with a bang, scoring the first 13 points of the game to shock Sterling. The Pilots pace led to a trio of early buckets before Olivia Nickerson highlighted the run with a three to make it 13-0. 
• Sterling would score their first points with 3:53 to play in the first quarter on a McKenna Vogl jumper. The Warrior started to find some offense late, but they could not slow down the Pilots as the score sat at 22-9 at the end of the first quarter. 
• Gracie Oard would spark the Sterling offense in the second quarter with an early three that cut the deficit to 10. Later in the period, Navaeh Johnson would hit a layup off an assist from Kali Briar to put Sterling within 10 for the first time since the opening moments. 
• Some crucial buckets from Karlee Jacobs down the stretch helped Sterling stay in it at the half. Her bucket with 25 seconds brought the Warriors within five. Bethel’s Isabella Nooe responded with a layup high of the glass to end the first half to give the Pilots the 34-27 advantage. 13 different players scored in the first half with no player scoring more than nine points as the game provided balance early on. 
• The third quarter would see Bethel move their lead back to 10 before Sterling instantly got back within striking distance. A jumper from Bailey Young with 3:54 left put Sterling back within five, tying the closest they had been. 
• After McKena Vogl cut it to two at the free throw line, Bethel would end the third quarter on a 6-0 run, highlighted by a Jazmyn Smith putback at the third quarter horn. Bethel led 49-41 headed into the fourth quarter. 
• Bethel carried the momentum into the fourth quarter, capping a 12-2 run with a Justyce Williams jumper to put the Pilots back in front by 12 with eight minutes to play. 
• Bethel would not relinquish the lead the rest of the way seeing their balanced offense and pesky defense earn them the 76-63 win to advance to Saturday’s national championship where they will pursue their first title since 2011.

Semifinal Two: #1 College of the Ozarks - 71 #5 Cedarville University - 61

• The defense was the star early as College of the Ozarks held Cedarville to 1-for-18 from the field in the first quarter to get out to a 19-3 advantage. The Bobcats balance continued to be the highlight on the offensive end with six players scoring in the first 10 minutes. Keara Mattingley would lead Ozarks with six first quarter points as they shot 57.1% from the field. 
• After eight minutes of game action, Emma Kay Martin would finally break the seal on the rim with a bucket with 9:38 to go in the second quarter. 
• Logan Jones would help Ozarks continue to pour it on, hitting back-to-back threes midway through the second quarter to bring the advantage to 30-7. The shooting woes continued for Cedarville in the second quarter as they sat at 4-for-28 at the media timeout.  
• Emma Kay Martin and Harmony Laker would combine for 12 of Cedarville’s 15 points at halftime. Ozarks saw 12 points from Logan Jones to lead the way as they took a 39-15 advantage into the locker room. 
• The Yellow Jackets came out with energy in the third quarter scoring the first nine points of the period to cut the deficit to 15. The defensive intensity picked up as well picking up Ozarks full court and forcing three turnovers in the first five minutes of the period. 
• The three would finally start to fall for Cedarville, hitting three of six in the third quarter. Harmony Laker would hit a deep ball with 2:51 to play in the period to suddenly put the Yellow Jackets within single digits, 46-37. The deficit would sit at 10 entering the final 10 minutes after Cedarville outscored Ozarks 26-12 in the quarter. 
• Cedarville would continue to fight in the fourth quarter. Chloe Downing would hit a three to cut the deficit to as low as five, but Ozarks Logan Jones immediately respond with a three of her own to put the Bobcats back in front by eight, 59-51. 
• The final six minutes of play became a foul frenzy as Cedarville continued to press. Ozarks was able to hit their free throws down the stretch to prevent any further Yellow Jacket comeback. Ozarks would return to the NCCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Championship game looking to defend their title with a 71-61 victory over Cedarville. 

Consolation Game One: #6 Southwestern Christian University - 71 #7 Asbury University - 70

• Southwestern Christian got off to an outstanding start in their first consolation game against Asbury, scoring the first 16 points of the game. Kaydrin Scott, Aexus Roberson, and Chrissen Harland each hit a three in the early run to immediately put the Eagles in front by double-digits. 
• Juleigh Anne Tucker would help Asbury finally found a little offensive stride, hitting a pair of threes for the Eagles first six points of the game. Asbury would trail 28-11 after one quarter of play. 
• Southwestern Christian’s physical play continued to show, getting to the line a total of 10 times in the first half and hitting eight free throws. Asbury however took the 19-point deficit and got it to as low as eight, with Southwestern Christian leading 42-32 at the half. 
• The resilient Asbury squad would see a Ma’Kiya West hit a three with 5:49 to go in the third quarter to trim the Southwestern Christian edge to its smallest since the opening minutes at seven. 
• The threes continued to fall for Asbury in the final few minutes of the third. Anna Hellums would hit her second of the game to bring the Eagles within one possession. 
• Carmella Jefferson would hit a circus layup to end the third quarter for Southwestern Christian to help them increase the lead back to nine, 61-52. 
• Asbury would make one final surge cutting it all the way down to one point on a Morgan Flannery three with 38 seconds to go. After a defensive stop, Asbury would have one chance to win it. They would go back to Flannery, but she was unable to find the bucket, as Southwestern Christian would hold on despite the multiple comeback attempts to win 71-70. SCU led from start to finish and held a lead as large as 19 in the game. 

Consolation Game Two: #8 Paine College - 87 #4 Houghton University - 82

• After a tough opening game yesterday, Paine responded with a dominant start, scoring the first eight points of the game. Adia Dormu scored four of the eight to put the Lions in front 8-0. 
• Paine stayed red-hot for much of the first quarter. Adia Dormu added a three to make it 17-8, as the Lions hit seven of their first 12 shots in the game. Leia Brown added a pair of threes for Paine to end the first quarter, giving the Lions a 25-12 edge. 
• Houghton started to see the three ball fall in the second quarter to chip away at the deficit. Crysta LaCrosse hit a pair as Houghton trailed by just five with 6:25 to go in the half. 
• In a tale of two quarters, the defensive intensity of Houghton would turn into easy offense as they would take their first lead of the game on an Anna Dening layup with 3:51 to play in the second quarter. Houghton would outscore Paine 29-14 in the second quarter to lead 41-39 at the break. 
• Crysta LaCrosse scored the first three points of the second half for Houghton, increasing her game high total to 17. The bucket would help the Highlanders push their advantage to its largest of six midway through the third quarter. 
• Paine would take their first lead of the second half on a Nina Solomon layup with 4:47 to play on the third quarter to make it 55-54. The two sides traded buckets the remainder of the third quarter with Houghton leading 68-66. 
• Neither side would hold a lead larger than four in the fourth quarter until an Adia Dormu layup with 1:45 to play put Paine up 84-78. Despite Houghton’s best effort for the comeback, Krya McCrary would hit some crucial free throws down the stretch to keep Paine in front for the final time. She finished the game with a double-double recording 23 points and 14 rebounds in an 87-82 victory. 

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 one national invitational for 88 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.