MITCHELL, S.D. — No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball hosted the Doane Tigers in the quarterfinal round of the 2026 GPAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.
Early possessions saw both teams gutting out points to trade leads. However, Dakota Wesleyan would be the ones to settle in first, jumping out to a 17-12 lead after the first period. DWU saw a well-rounded offensive attack spread the ball across the lineup, with Shalayne Nagel eventually taking the leading roll, recording a team-high of 14 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and two steals by the end of the contest, and was joined by Maleighya Estes off the bench, who tallied 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal. Rylee Rosenquist chipped in as a starter with 12 points of her own, along with seven rebounds, five assists, and a steal. At the same time, Emma Yost matched her team-leading assist total, along with adding 10 points to the scoreboard. The added firepower propelled DWU to a dominant second period, where they would outscore Doane 27-7, taking a 44-19 lead into the locker room at halftime. Dakota Wesleyan was able to limit turnovers while forcing 15 on Doane, leading to 18 total points off turnovers for DWU, compared to just three from Doane.
The second half saw a similar pace for DWU, keeping them at a comfortable lead, with Jaida Young and Avery Broughton rounding out the starting lineup by combining for 15 points, seven boards, and four assists to continue the team's momentum. Doane was able to limit DWU's offensive attack partially during the third period, but good defensive play across the board for Dakota Wesleyan prevented them from getting any sort of advantage against the hosting Tigers. Taliyah Hayes added 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, and two steals off the bench to further solidify DWU's lead, and the Tigers of Mitchell would eventually take the win over Doane, 74-45. DWU was able to outshoot DU 43.8% to 26.5% from the field, and while the rebound totals would be close between both squads, DWU was able to better capitalize on the glass, outscoring Doane 32-18 in the paint. With the win, DWU advances to the GPAC Semifinals, marking the fifth year in a row that the team has advanced in the conference tournament.
DWU Women's Basketball will be back in action in the semifinal round of the conference tournament, squaring off against third-seeded Hastings at the Corn Palace this coming Saturday, February 28th, starting at 3:00 PM. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.