SIOUX CITY, Iowa — Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball squared off against the nation's 11th-ranked team, and third-seeded team in the Duer Quadrant, Lindsey Wilson, in the Round of 16 of the NAIA Championships.
The Tigers opened the game with immediate momentum as the offense took advantage of its early possessions. At the same time, the defensive unit shut down the Blue Raiders, who shot just 1-15 (6.7%) from the field, resulting in a 20-4 advantage on the scoreboard after 10 minutes of play. Rylee Rosenquist led the scoring effort initially and would end up being the team's leading scorer, contributing 17 points, eight assists, and seven rebounds in her sixth consecutive double-digit scoring performance. She was aided on the scoreboard by three-time First Team All-GPAC forward Emma Yost and GPAC Defensive Player of the Year Avery Broughton, as both athletes recorded 16 points each in a well-rounded scoring effort. Yost added four boards and three assists to her totals while Broughton added six rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a steal by the end of the game. The second period saw the Blue Raiders find more of a rhythm on offense, but the Tigers were able to match thanks to the added efforts of Maleighya Estes off the bench, who added seven points and three rebounds, along with Taliyah Hayes, who posted five points and three boards in 10 minutes on the floor. With the early advantage setting the tone, Dakota Wesleyan took a dominant 47-23 lead at the half.
The second half saw Lindsey Wilson find more points in its beginning stages, and while they would slightly close the gap, Dakota Wesleyan was able to maintain its momentum down the stretch. Shalayne Nagel had a big day on the boards, leading DWU with 12 rebounds, along with adding eight points and four assists, while Jaida Young was able to command the floor with seven added points, four assists, and three rebounds to round out the starting lineup. Dakota Wesleyan's shooting efficiency took a slight dip in the third, but they were overall able to put up a productive 30-71 (42.3%) shooting clip, while operating at 7-16 (43.8%) from three. DWU's defense held LWU to just 22-70 (31.4%) overall from the field and 2-14 (14.3%) from three, marking its third-lowest three-point-percentage mark of the 2025-26 season. The Tigers limited the Blue Raiders to just seven points in the final period, resulting in a 78-53 final score in favor of Dakota Wesleyan. The victory puts this year's team tied for fourth-place in program history with 28 wins on the season, matching the same total from the 2003-04 season.
DWU Women's Basketball will be back in action in the 2026 NAIA Championship Quarterfinals against the third-ranked and first-seeded Bethel (Tenn.) Wildcats tomorrow, March 21st, at 6:00 PM. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.