SIOUX CITY, Iowa — No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball headed down to Iowa to face the ninth-ranked Briar Cliff Chargers in a showdown between a couple of the best teams in the NAIA.
In a true battle of the GPAC's top squads, both teams put up stout scoring efforts in the first period, with DWU leading 28-24 after 10 minutes of play. The offense was led by Rylee Rosenquist, who put up a season-high of 24 points as a starter, and added four rebounds and three assists to her final stat line. Rosenquist showed up big at both the beginning and end portions of the contest, ultimately being the catalyst for DWU's crucial scoring stretches. She was assisted by Avery Broughton, who posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Emma Yost, who posted 12 points alongside four assists and two steals. Broughton's presence at the glass was most prominent on the defensive side for the Tigers, as she also added two blocks to her performance, and was aided by a five-steal performance from Jaida Young, which helped slow down the pace of a high-octane Briar Cliff squad. As both teams settled into the contest, the scoring slowed down, but they continued to stay close with each other, with DWU taking a 44-38 lead into the half.
The starting lineup for the Tigers was rounded out by Shalayne Nagel in a supportive nine-point, three-rebound performance, which paired nicely with the eight points that Young posted to go alongside her defensive effort. Off the bench, Taliyah Hayes and Maleighya Estes combined for 10 points and were a big help down the stretch as possessions became more crucial throughout the second half. The Tigers clawed to the final period with a 60-59 lead that was closed by the Chargers earlier on, but a sturdy defensive effort in the final 10 minutes of play kept DWU in the lead for the remainder of the contest and re-extended its lead to 79-70 by the end of the game. The Tigers were outshot by the Chargers from three, 42.1% to 33.3%, but DWU found more production closer to the basket, outshooting BCU from the general field, 45.3% to 40.6%. The gutsy performance on the road earns Dakota Wesleyan a top-10 win and takes down one of the top squads in the GPAC. The Tigers move to 5-2 overall and 3-1 in GPAC play. The win also moved DWU Women's Basketball up to No. 14 in the most recent NAIA coaches' poll, which will last for the next two weeks. See the full top 25 here.
DWU Women's Basketball will be back in action on Tuesday, December 2nd, as they head to Madison to take on Dakota State in the Battle of the Blues. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.