| Scranton celebrated after beating Concordia-Moorhead to secure the program’s 10th national semifinal appearance. Photo by Vin Rinella, University of Scranton |
No. 1 NYU, No. 2 Scranton, and No. 4 UW-Oshkosh sent their fans home happy after rolling to victory in Saturday night’s sectional semifinals, while No. 8 Denison kept its dream season going with an upset victory at No. 3 Washington and Lee in the 2026 NCAA Division III women’s basketball tournament.
No. 2 Scranton booked its tenth trip to the national semifinals by shutting down No. 20 Concordia-Moorhead, 67-42.
As they have all season, the Royals jumped out to a commanding lead in the first half, as Elizabeth Bennett’s three gave Scranton a 38-21 lead at the break. The Royals have outscored their opponents by 104 points in the first half through the first four games of the Tournament. The Cobbers fared better in the third quarter, and they pulled within 14 points on Maya Metcalf’s layup late in the third. But Scranton quickly built its lead back to 21 points on two Kaci Kranson free throws and Kaeli Romanowski’s three pointer, and the Royals held Concordia-Moorhead to seven points in the fourth quarter.
Kranson led the balanced offensive attack for Scranton (31-0) with 15 points, while Romanowski added 10 points, nine rebounds, five steals and four assists. Metcalf capped a strong weekend for Concordia-Moorhead (26-5) with 17 points and six rebounds.
No. 1 New York University was the next team to punch its ticket to Salem, as the Violets defeated No. 19 UW-La Crosse in Manhattan, 72-47.
NYU led from start to finish and pushed the lead to double digits by opening the second period on an 11-0 run capped by Olivia Lagoa’s three-pointer. A layup from Caroline Peper and a free throw from Yasmene Clark gave the Violets an 18-point halftime lead, and NYU stayed in control the rest of the way. Brooke Bachelor scored 22 points and hit six 3-pointers for NYU (29-0). After hitting 17 threes on Friday night against Hardin-Simmons, NYU made 11 more and tied the NCAA Division III Tournament record with 48.
NYU also won its 91st consecutive game, passing the University of Connecticut for the second longest winning streak in women’s college basketball history. The Huskies, who won 90 games from 2008 – 2011, also hold the longest record with 111 straight wins from 2014 through 2017.
Those two victories set up a rare matchup of the top two teams in the national rankings. The last time this occurred was in the 2024 national semifinals when New York University defeated Transylvania on its way to the championship.
No. 4 UW-Oshkosh will also make a return trip to the national semifinals because the Titans downed No. 17 Chicago, 73-56. For the second straight night, the Titans shook off a slow start and grabbed the lead in the second quarter, this time surging in front of the Maroons by outscoring them 19-6. The Titans started the second half on a 10-2 run, with Avery Poole and Sammi Beyer hitting threes along the way, and that gave UWO an insurmountable 21-point lead.
Beyer scored 22 points on 8-for-16 shooting, and she had plenty of help. Paige Seckar posted a double-double (15 points, 11 rebounds), and Avery Poole added 12 points for Oshkosh (28-3). Annabelle Spotts led Chicago (20-8) with 22 points with four 3-pointers.
The only upset of the night came in Lexington, Virginia where No. 8 Denison knocked off undefeated and third-ranked Washington and Lee, 77-64.
The Big Red built a 12-point lead early in the third quarter, but All-American Mary Schleusner rallied the Generals with a tip-in that ignited a 16-4 W&L run. Schleusner had 12 points and 10 rebounds in the third quarter alone, and the teams went to the fourth tied at 50. Denison point guard Abby Cooch got hot in the fourth quarter, hitting a couple jumpers to put the Big Red back in front by four. The key stretch came midway through that period when Molly Dorighi hit a three, and then backcourt mate Ada Taute drained another that put Denison in front 64-56. Taue and Anelly Mad-toingué set each other up for layups on consecutive possessions, giving Denison a nine-point lead in the closing minutes, and the Big Red held on from there.
Taute finished with 24 points on 10-for-16 shooting and Dorighi scored 19 by going 14-for-16 from the foul line for Denison (28-2), which stay in Virginia and then make the short drive south to Salem for its first national semifinals appearance.
The loss ends Washington and Lee’s season and Schleusner’s superlative career. She tallied 27 points and 29 rebounds in her final game, giving her the top three rebounding performances in Division III Tournament history.
Overall, Schleusner finishes with 2,483 points and 1,992 rebounds, and she holds the career records for double-doubles and rebounds at this level.