SIOUX CITY, Iowa –Four more teams have punched their ticket to the quarterfinal round of the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship after winning their game in the Round of 16 on Tuesday in the Tyson Events Center.

Indiana Wesleyan, Dakota State (S.D.), Thomas More (Ky.) and Montana Westernadvance to complete the quarterfinal round. The quarterfinals will take place on Wednesday, March 15 beginning at 11 a.m. CT.

Montana Western def. Dordt (Iowa) 89-79

The teams traded the lead through the start of the contest as no team led more than six points at any time in the first two quarters. Dordt went into the locker room at the half with the lead on a last-second shot by Janie Schoonhoven. UMW found its stride in the third quarter on its way to a 10-point lead scoring from behind the arch four out of five trips down the floor and converted one of those three-point shots into a four-point play with Isabella Lund sinking the long shot and completed the play from the line with her first shot of the game from the free throw line. The Defenders chipped away at the Bulldogs lead in the last two minutes of the third quarter and closed the gap to four points. UMW held onto the lead throughout the fourth quarter and extended the lead back to 10 points once again with 32 seconds left in the contest to secure the Bulldogs Round of 16 win.

Season Records: Dordt 30-3 | Montana Western 28-5

Game Highlights

• Jordan Sweeney of Montana Western led all scorers with 24 points while her teammate, Brynley Fitzgerald, followed with 22 points of her own.
• Karly Gustafson of Dordt (Iowa) led the Defenders with 18 points in the contest. Gustafson and teammate Janie Schoonhoven were one board away from recording double-doubles in the contest.
• UMW shot 62.5% from behind the arc going 15-of-24
• Additionally, Montana Western was 76.9% from the charity stripe (10-13)
• The Bulldogs advance to the quarterfinals again for the first time since they won a title in 2019.

Thomas More (Ky.) def. Cumberlands (Ky.) 91-61

It was a three-point ball from the start that propelled Thomas More (Ky.) to advance to the quarterfinal round for the third-straight season. The Saints used a 28-9 run in the second quarter to erase the five-point first-quarter deficit. Cumberlands (Ky.) fought back early in the second half, but the hot-shooting Saints continued to knock down shots to advance in the 2023 NAIA Women’s Basketball Championship.

Season Records: Thomas More 29-3 | Cumberlands 24-8

Game Highlights

• 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.
• Four total Saints notched double digits, including two off the bench.
• TMU won the turnover battle, committing just five to Cumberlands’ 12.
• The Saints were hot from the floor with their 49.2% mark (TMU 42.9% | CU 39.3%)
• The Thomas More bench was heavily involved all night, scoring 50 of the team’s 91 points.
• Thomas More shot 42.9% from the three-point range (12-for-28).
• The Saints march into the quarterfinals for the third-straight season, doing so every year as a member of the NAIA
• Thomas More defeated Cumberlands for the third time this season.

Dakota State (S.D.) def. Carroll (Mont.) 82-72

A tightly contest first quarter saw Carroll (Mont.) lead by as many as seven points, but Dakota State (S.D.) kept pace. The Fighting Saints led by as many as 12 points in the second quarter, but the Trojans evened the score with back-to-back-to-back 3-pointers. The third quarter was back-and-forth the entire 10 minutes, as the two teams exchanged the lead. Six-straight points for Dakota State midway through the fourth would propel them to pull the upset victory and advance to the Quarterfinal round.

Season Records: Dakota State 28-6 | Carroll 27-6

Game Highlights

• Maddie Geritz of Carroll (Mont.) led all scorers with 24 points.
• Savannah Walsdorf of DSU led the team with 20 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.
• Jamie Pickens of Carroll (Mont.) also notched a double-double dropping 17 points and 16 rebounds.
• Four Trojans scored in double digits in the victory, including one off the bench.
• Both teams shot even from the floor on the game (DSU 41.5% | Carroll 41.4%).
• The Fighting Saints held a +6-rebound advantage (Carroll 41 | DSU 35).
• Dakota State converted on 87.9% of their free throws (29-for-33).

Indiana Wesleyan def. Briar Cliff (Iowa) 88-77

Both teams were hot from the start and shot north of 50% from the floor in the first quarter. Briar Cliff (Iowa) led the entire first quarter. The two teams shot a combined 12, three-pointers in the opening quarter. The Wildcats responded and pull within two points at the half. Indiana Wesleyan took its first lead of the contest in the third quarter, leading by as many as 12 points in the final frame.

Season Records: Indiana Wesleyan 31-3 | Briar Cliff 26-8

Game Highlights

• Kennedy Benne and Payton Slaughter of BCU led all scorers, both dropping 24 points.
• Lilli Frasure led Indiana Wesleyan with her 17 points and brought down eight boards.
• Jade Nutley of IWU followed with 16 points and a game-high 13 rebounds for a double-double.
• Slaughter of BCU also added 11 rebounds to have a double-double for the Chargers.
• Four of the five Wildcat starters recorded double digits to lead them into the quarterfinals.
• Both teams shot even from the floor on the game (IWU 46.2% | BCU 46.3%).
• Indiana Wesleyan heads to the quarterfinal round for the second time under head coach Ethan Whaley.

Indiana Wesleyan continues its win streak to 23 games