No.16 Lady Wildcats Face No.2 Southern Oregon Saturday in Elite Eight
SIOUX CITY, Iowa- The 44th Annual Women's National Championship spins into the Elite Eight at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday.
The No. 1 seeded Bethel Lady Wildcats in the Cramer Quadrant beat No. 4 seed Hastings 78-70 Thursday in the opening game of the tournament. The Cats moved to 26-7 on the season.
The Cats face No. 2 in the Cramer Quadrant, Southern Oregon at 1 p.m. The undefeated Raiders came from behind to beat Xavier 67-60 Thursday. Southern Oregon is 34-0.
Bethel vs. Hastings:
Beginning with the tip-off, Bethel set the tone with strong defensive pressure and a steady offensive the game. Micah Hart led the charge, delivering a stellar performance with 18 points and an impressive 15 rebounds. Madison Hart followed closely behind, adding 16 points and pulling down 16 rebounds, asserting her dominance in the paint.
The game remained tight throughout, with Hastings refusing to back down. Macy Bryant kept the Broncos in contention with her 18-point effort, draining three shots from beyond the arc and making key plays down the stretch. But Bethel's composure at the free-throw line proved crucial, sinking 25 of 32 attempts to keep their lead intact.
A pivotal moment came late in the fourth quarter when MJ Simmons nailed a clutch three-pointer, pushing Bethel's lead to a comfortable margin. From there, the Lady Cats tightened their defense, forcing turnovers and securing crucial rebounds to stifle any hopes of a Hastings comeback.
As the final buzzer sounded, the Bethel bench erupted in celebration, knowing they had earned their spot among the tournament's final eight teams. The Lady Cats now turn their focus to Saturday's matchup, where they will face the winner of Xavier and Southern Oregon at 1 p.m., hoping to continue their inspiring run toward a national title.
Coach Chris Nelson said after the game. "These girls showed tremendous heart and resilience today. They fought for every possession, and that's what got us here. We're proud of what we've accomplished, but we know the job isn't finished." Nelson added," We beat an outstanding team today. Madison and Micah made big play after big play. MJ and Kylie were big off the bench."
Cat Scratches vs. Hastings:
- Mikee Buchanan -14 points, six rebounds
- Simmons-13 points, six rebounds
- Bethel won the battle of the boards- 55-49.
- The Cats held Hastings to 30 percent to 30 percent from the floor
MSC Tournament Recap:
- Bethel won the Mid-South Conference title in its first-ever championship appearance and did so by beating three nationally ranked teams. The No. 16 ranked Wildcats beat No. 3 Campbellsville (Ky.), No. 5 Cumberlands (Ky.), and No. 11 Georgetown (Ky.) by an average of 14.3 points per game during the three-day tournament.
1st and 2nd Round Recap:
The Lady Cats beat Sterling and Benedictine in first and second round action in McKenzie this past weekend.
Cat Numbers:
The Lady Cats average 76.1 and yield 61.8 points per game. Bethel shoots 42 percent from the floor. Their opponents average 36 percent from field. The Cats shoot 32 from behind the three-point arc and hold their opponents to just 27 percent from deep. Bethel has been efficient from the foul line at 76 percent. The Cats outrebound their opponents 37-34.
Mid-South Conference Freshman of the Year, Micah Hart leads Bethel in scoring at 17.8 points per game. Micah leads the team in steals with 63. All-Conference performer Madison Hart follows at 16.7 per outing. She leads the squad in rebounding at seven per game. Mikee Buchanan averages 11.8 points per contest. Mikee B leads the team in blocks with 30.
Hallie Turner averages 6.5 points per game and leads Bethel in assists with 126.
Coach Chris Nelson:
Coach Chris Nelson (401-208) is in his 19th season as head coach at Bethel. Coach Nelson's 401 career victories rank him 13th in wins among active women's basketball coaches in the NAIA. He has led Bethel to 11 seasons with 20-plus wins.
He served eight years on the board of directors for the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and is currently serving as the 1st Vice president for the WBCA Executive Committee. He is also on the NAIA National Selection Committee.
During Nelson's tenure as head coach, Bethel has qualified for 12 NAIA national tournaments (2009, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 and 2022).
The Lady Wildcats are 173-41 in home games at Crisp Arena since the venue opened in 2012.
This is the 15th year Bethel has appeared in the national tournament and first since 2022.
Bethel reached the Elite Eight in 2014 and 2015.
Southern Oregon:
In their first true test of the NAIA Women's Basketball Championship, the No. 2-seeded Raiders defeated No. 6 seed Xavier (La.), 67-60, by weathering a storm that left them down 14 points a minute into the second half Thursday at the Tyson Events Center.
After shooting 22% over the game's first 21 minutes, they picked themselves up with a 20-2 surge fueled by a trio of Bridgette McIntyre 3-pointers and put up 29 points in the third quarter after mustering 22 over the previous two combined. The Gold Nuggets came back to tie the score at 57-57 before Emma Schmerbach went baseline for a go-ahead jumper at the four-minute mark of the fourth quarter, and SOU didn't surrender another bucket until the game was out of reach in the final seconds.
The Raiders average 77.0 and yield 53.3 points per game. They shoot 47 percent from the floor and their opponents shoot 34 percent. OSU shoots 39 percent from three-point range while their opponents average just 28 percent from long range. The Raiders average 70 percent from the charity stripe.
Morgan Baird leads the Raiders in scoring at 15.8 points per game. Schmerbach averages 11.7 per outing.
Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt is in her fourth season as Southern Oregon's University's head women's basketball coach in 2024-25, already a two-time Cascade Conference Coach of the Year who has yet to miss the NAIA National Tournament.
Bethel is proud to partner with The Victory, 93.7 for live action on the radio dial for each game in Sioux City. A special thanks to Bradley Owens and Steve Hemann for their support of the team and Bethel University.
Follow the Cats:
Listen:
Video:
https://www.naia.org/watch/index
Stats:
https://www.statbroadcast.com/events/tournament.php?tid=1062
Tickets:
https://www.tysoncenter.com/events/detail/naia-womens-basketball-national-championship-3
Bracket:
https://www.naia.org/sports/wbkb/2024-25/Files/Bracket_WBB_64Team.pdf