DePauw & John Carroll to Meet for NCAC Women's Basketball Tourney Title

GRANVILLE, OH -- The semifinal round of the 2026 NCAC Women’s Basketball Tournament delivered a pair of bracket-busting games, as No. 4 DePauw (18-9) stunned top-seeded Denison (24-2), 75-59, and No. 3 John Carroll (24-3) knocked off No. 2 Ohio Wesleyan (20-5) with a 61-49 triumph.
 
The Tigers and the Blue Streaks will meet for the tournament title on Saturday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. at Denison University's Livingston Gymnasium in Granville, Ohio. DePauw will be playing in the tournament final for the 10th time in program history and will look to capture the team’s third-consecutive and 10th overall title. John Carroll, in its inaugural season in the conference, will be competing in its first NCAC tourney title game.
 
The tournament final will be part of a doubleheader with the men, who will play after the women’s final at 7:00 p.m. The gym will be cleared in between those games and separate tickets will be required for both contests.
 
#4 DEPAUW (18-9) 75, #1 DENISON (24-2) 59
  • DePauw set the tone early, holding Denison to just eight first-quarter points while building a 12-8 lead after one. The Tigers kept that momentum going in the second, using a 16-7 quarter to stretch their advantage to 28-15 at the break. Junior forward Olivia Hart (Murfreesboro, TN/Central Magnet) led DePauw’s first-half effort with 14 points, while Denison’s offense was paced by junior guards Abby Cooch (Clifton, VA/Bishop Ireton) and Ada Taute (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius College Prep).
  • DePauw widened the gap in the third quarter, outscoring the Big Red 21-17 to take a 49-32 lead into the final period. The Tigers then pushed their lead to as many as 22 points in the fourth quarter, as senior guard Riley Mont (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) made a layup with 6:01 remaining to move the score to 57-35. Denison found more rhythm offensively down the stretch with a 27-point fourth quarter, but DePauw answered and closed out the semifinal win.
  • Mont led all scorers with 24 points to go along with eight rebounds, while Hart was second in scoring for DePauw with 20 points and six boards. Senior guard Lily Huntzinger (Wheaton, IL/Wheaton-Warrenville) also finished in double figures for the Tigers with 11 points, while adding four steals, three assists and two rebounds. Junior guard Tori Allen (Kouts, IN/Andrean) added eight points, four rebounds, three assists and two steals, while first-year forward Bren Hill (Vincennes, IN/South Knox) contributed six points, six rebounds, one steal and two blocks.
  • For Denison, Cooch paced the Big Red with 18 points, while Taute added 17 points, six rebounds and two assists. Sophomore post Anelly Mad-toingué (Wellesley, MA/Dana Hall) recorded a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with four points, four blocks and three steals, while senior guard Brooke Toigo (Ada, MI/Forest Hills Eastern) chipped in six points and three rebounds off the bench.
 
#3 JOHN CARROLL (24-3) 61, #2 OHIO WESLEYAN (20-5) 49
  • Ohio Wesleyan came out strong, scoring the first six points of the night and holding John Carroll to just nine first-quarter points for an 11-9 advantage after the first 10 minutes of action. The Blue Streaks settled in during the second quarter, using a 19-8 frame to flip the momentum and take a 28-19 lead into halftime. John Carroll took its first lead at 18-17 thanks to a three-pointer by senior guard/forward Ava Ryncarz (Aurora, OH/Aurora) with 6:08 left in the quarter and never trailed again the rest of the way.
  • John Carroll carried that momentum into the second half, outscoring the Battling Bishops 15-14 in the third quarter to build a 43-33 edge heading into the fourth. Ohio Wesleyan made one final push in the last period, two quick steals by junior forward Macy Miller (Marysville, OH/Milford Center Fairbanks) and senior guard Mia Guscoff (Canton, OH/Massillon Perry) which fed senior guard Kendall Dieringer (St. Marys, OH/Memorial), who converted two layups, trimmed the deficit to 52-49 with 2:48 remaining. However, the Blue Streaks answered down the stretch, with senior guard/forward Carly Perusek (Willoughby Hills, OH/Beaumont) converting a layup on the next possession to stretch the lead back to five, and classmate Graci Semptimphelter (Franklin, TN/Battle Ground Academy) followed with a pull-up jumper and a pair of free throws in the closing minutes to help seal the win.
  • Semptimphelter led all scorers with 26 points, while also grabbing nine rebounds to go along with two steals and one block. Perusek was second in scoring for John Carroll with 12 points on a perfect 6-for-6 shooting night, while adding six rebounds, four assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Nicci Finazzo (Willoughby Hills, OH/Gilmour Academy) chipped in seven points, four rebounds and one steal, while Ryncarz finished with seven points, seven rebounds and three steals for the Blue Streaks.
  • For Ohio Wesleyan, Dieringer and Guscoff each scored a team-high 10 points. Dieringer added seven rebounds, three assists and three steals, while Guscoff knocked down a pair of three-pointers. Junior guards Nora Johns (Sewickley, PA/Quaker Valley) and Maddie Ebbert (Lake Orion, MI/Lake Orion) each added nine points, and Miller pulled down a game-high 16 rebounds to go along with six points, two steals and one assist for the Battling Bishops.

Related Stories

Related Videos

Now Playing: