2022 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament
Quarterfinals:		Semifinals:		Championship:
Tuesday, February 22 (at higher seeds)		Friday, February 25 (at DePauw)		Saturday, February 26 (at DePauw)
#1 DePauw 72, #8 Wooster 54 (Boxscore)		#4 Wittenberg 55, #1 DePauw 52 (Boxscore)		#4 Wittenberg 64, #3 Ohio Wesleyan 58 (OT) (Boxscore)
#2 Oberlin 61, #7 Kenyon 59 (Boxscore)		#3 Ohio Wesleyan 60, #2 Oberlin 50 (Boxscore)
#3 Ohio Wesleyan 59, #6 Hiram 41 (Boxscore)
#4 Wittenberg 56, #5 Denison 44 (Boxscore)
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CHAMPIONSHIP

Fourth-seeded Wittenberg (18-7) captured its ninth NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament title after defeating third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (21-7) in overtime, 64-58, on Saturday afternoon at DePauw University's Neal Fieldhouse. As tournament champions, the Tigers have earned the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, which will open with first and second round games next weekend on campus sites.

It was a back-and-forth affair in the title game with 13 ties and 13 lead changes. To start the game, the two teams traded baskets before Ohio Wesleyan went on a 6-0 run producing a 10-5 advantage seven minutes in. Wittenberg then posted its own 5-0 run to end the quarter at 10-all. It continued to be a back-and-forth game throughout the second frame, as the game was pushed to 22-22 at the 1:22 mark. The Battling Bishops would end the half with five unanswered points to go into the locker room up 27-22. Wittenberg would tie the game four minutes into the third quarter at 27. The score was then knotted at 34-34 to end the stanza. The final ten minutes of play would see the lead change several times, before the Tigers would net four unanswered baskets to go up 43-36. With 1:35 remaining, OWU would tie the game at 47 with a three from sophomore Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, OH/Mechanicsburg). Wittenberg senior Abigail Yunker (Whitehouse, OH/Anthony Wayne) would make a layup for the 49-47 lead, before OWU senior Cierra Joiner (Centerburg, OH/Centerburg) answered back with a layup of her own to end regulation at 49-49. The extra period would see much of the same back-and-forth scoring before Wittenberg senior Delaney Williams (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) would net five unanswered points to push the Tigers lead to 61-56. Schipfer would pull the Bishops to within three with a jumper, but the Tigers would net three free throws to secure the 64-58 win.

After tallying 18 points, six rebounds, two steals and one block in the championship game Wittenberg senior Kristie Kalis (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township) collected the Nan Nichols Award as the tournament's most valuable player. In the three tournament games combined, Kalis scored 47 points, gathered 14 rebounds, earned eight blocks and recorded three steals. Joining Kalis on the 2022 NCAC Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team were senior teammate Abigail Yunker (Whitehouse, OH/Anthony Wayne), along with Ohio Wesleyan seniors Cierra Joiner (Centerburg, OH/Centerburg) and Molly Delaney (Delaware, OH/Olentangy), DePauw senior Mya Shannon (Morris, IL/Morris) and Oberlin freshman Bryana Woodard (Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day School).

2022 NCAC Women's Basketball All-Tournament Team
Mya Shannon, DePauw
Bryana Woodard, Oberlin
Molly Delaney, Ohio Wesleyan
Cierra Joiner, Ohio Wesleyan
Abigail Yunker, Wittenberg
Tournament MVP (Nan Nichols Award) - Kristie Kalis, Wittenberg

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SEMIFINALS

The finals are set for the 2022 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament with Wittenberg (17-7) and Ohio Wesleyan (21-6) to meet for the title on Saturday afternoon at 4:00 p.m. at DePauw University's Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle, Indiana. The Tigers will be playing in the championship game for the 17th time in program history, while the Battling Bishops will be playing in the title game for the 15th time.

In the first semifinal upset of the night, fourth-seeded Wittenberg knocked off top-seeded DePauw (23-3) by a 55-52 margin in Greencastle. The Ohio Tigers will now advance to the championship game for the first time since 2018.

DePauw was up 12-7 after the first ten minutes of play, before Wittenberg would outscore the host 18-12 in the second quarter to take a 25-24 lead into the locker room. Wittenberg put up another 16 points in the third stanza, while DePauw netted 11, and would enter the final ten minutes down 41-35. In the final quarter, DePauw would regain the lead, 52-51, at the 1:17 mark thanks to a three-point basket by senior Mya Shannon (Morris, IL/Morris). Wittenberg freshman Taryn Cash (Cincinnati, OH/Princeton) answered with a layup to give Wittenberg the 53-52 lead, while senior Kristie Kalis (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township) netted two free throws to notch the win.

Sophomore Jade Simpson (Edgewood, KY/Holy Cross) posted the only double-double of the game with 12 points and 11 rebounds to go along with one assist and one steal, while Kalis tallied 13 points and a game-high five blocks. Cash and senior Delaney Williams (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) each contributed eight points in the win, while Williams also dished five assists and earned two steals. For DePauw, Shannon scored a game-high 14 points to go along with eight rebounds and one assist, while senior Campbell Montgomery (Chicago, IL/St. Ignatius College Prep) added six points, eleven rebounds and one steal and freshman Ava Hassel (Portsmouth, OH/Notre Dame) came off the bench to tally 10 points, four rebound and one assist.

In the second semifinal upset of the night, third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan secured its spot in the NCAC Tournament title game with a 60-50 victory over second-seeded Oberlin (21-4). The Battling Bishops will now advance to the championship game for the first time since 2015.

It was a tightly contested first quarter with Ohio Wesleyan taking the 13-12 lead in the second frame. Oberlin outscored the Battling Bishops 10-8 in the second quarter to take the 22-21 advantage into the locker room. OWU put 19 points on the board in the third stanza, while the Yeowomen netted 16 going into the final ten minutes of play down 40-38. In the final stanza, the Battling Bishops would take control outscoring Oberlin 20-12 to earn the semifinal victory.

Senior Cierra Joiner (Centerburg, OH/Centerburg) poured in a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds for Ohio Wesleyan. Sophomore teammate Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, OH/Mechanicsburg) contributed 13 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block, while sophomore Elizabeth Homan (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) added nine points, eight rebounds, two assists and one steal and senior Molly Delaney (Delaware, OH/Olentangy) posted a game-high six assists with five points, four rebounds, one steal and one block in the win. Three Yeowomen would record double-digit scoring, while freshman Bryana Woodard (Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day School) would lead the way posting the only double-double of the game with 12 points and 10 rebounds to go along with two steals, one assist and one block. Classmate Camille Zinaich (Boonsboro, MD/Saint Maria Goretti) netted 10 points, dished three assists and gathered two boards, while sophomore Alyson Jefferson (Washington, DC/Benjamin Banneker) put up 10 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal.

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QUARTERFINALS:

The top four seeds all posted victories on Tuesday night in the quarterfinal round of the 2022 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament. As a result, top-seeded DePauw (23-2) will host the "final four" Friday and Saturday, Feb. 25-26, at Neal Fieldhouse in Greencastle, Indiana. The Tigers will face fourth-seeded Wittenberg (16-7) at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, while the second semifinal on Friday will feature second-seeded Oberlin (21-3) and third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (20-6) at 7:30 p.m. The semifinal winners will play in the tournament championship game at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday in Greencastle.

Eighth-seeded Wooster (4-22) came out strong against top-seeded DePauw going up 7-2 in the first two minutes of play, but the Tigers made an 8-0 run and never let up en route to earning a 72-54 quarterfinal victory. DePauw saw balanced scoring as a team and was led by senior Mya Shannon (Morris, IL/Morris), who netted a team-high 13 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, to go along with five rebounds and one assist, while classmate Grace Kinsey (Hawthorn Woods, IL/Lake Zurich) scored 12 points, dished three assists, pulled in three defensive rebounds and earned two steals. It was a total team effort for both teams, as the Tigers reserves poured in 30 points, while the Wooster bench netted 24 points. The Fighting Scots were led by sophomores Harley Holloway (Freeport, PA/Freeport Area) and Alyssa Chritz (Midland, MI/Midland), as they each scored a game-high 16 points. Holloway went 6-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point range, while Chritz came off the bench and went 6-of-12 from the field and gathered a game-high 10 rebounds for the only double-double of the game. Junior Maura Fitzgerald (Grayslake, IL/Grayslake Central) posted a team-high seven rebounds and four assists for DePauw, while Wooster senior Masani Francis (Pocono Mountains, PA/Pleasant Valley) tallied a team-high four assists to go along with five points, three rebounds and three steals. DePauw shot 44.1 percent (26-of-59) from the floor, drilling 15-of-16 chances from the foul line, while Wooster posted a 30.9 shooting percentage (21-of-68) from the field and connected on 3-of-9 free throws. On the glass, the Tigers out rebounded the Fighting Scots 52-31 and held a 38-14 edge in points in the paint.

Second-seeded Oberlin claimed a tightly contested 61-59 win over seventh-seeded Kenyon (6-20), as the Yeowomen outscored the Ladies in the first two quarters, 31-24, and Kenyon outscored Oberlin in the final two frames, 35-30. Freshman Bryana Woodard (Cincinnati, OH/Summit Country Day School) poured in a game-high 20 points to go along with four defensive boards, four steals and one blocked shot, while senior Grace Connery (Sparta, NJ/Lenape Valley Regional) and junior Katie Orefice (Weston, CT/Weston) netted a team-high 16 points apiece for Kenyon. Connery also contributed four rebounds and one assist, while Orefice grabbed five defensive boards, dished three assists and earned one steal. Freshman Camille Zinaich (Boonsboro, MD/Saint Maria Goretti) was a force on the boards for Oberlin, gathering a game-high 15 rebounds, 10 of which came on the defensive end. The rookie also contributed seven points, five assists, one steal and one block, while sophomore teammate Alyson Jefferson (Washington, DC/Benjamin Banneker) filled up the stat sheet with fourteen points, seven rebounds, three steals and two assists. Sophomore Claudia Cooke (Chesterfield, MO/Parkway Central) anchored the Kenyon defense with nine defensive rebounds, 12 overall, and two steals to go along with fourteen points and two steals, while senior Madelyn Anderson (Waterford, WI/Waterford Union) netted 10 points, grabbed five boards and dished three assists. The Yeowomen shot 40.3 percent (25-of-62) from the floor and 69.2 percent (9-of-13) from the charity stripe, while the Ladies posted a 38.2 shooting percentage (21-of-55) from the field and connected on 10-of-12 free throws. Oberlin outscored Kenyon in the paint, 46-20, while the Ladies held a slight 8-6 advantage in second-chance points.

Third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan recorded an NCAC quarterfinal victory for the third-consecutive time after claiming a 59-41 win over sixth-seeded Hiram (8-17). The Terriers took a 12-11 lead into the second quarter before the Battling Bishops scored 20 points in the second frame to take a nine-point lead into the half, 31-22. Ohio Wesleyan then outscored Hiram 28-19 in the final 20 minutes to capture the win. Three of the Battling Bishops scored in double figures, led by senior Cierra Joiner (Centerburg, OH/Centerburg), who netted a game-high 21 points, to go along with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. OWU sophomore Kasey Schipfer (Mechanicsburg, OH/Mechanicsburg) posted the only double-double of the game with 14 points and 12 rebounds to go along with a game-high four steals, while senior Molly Delaney (Delaware, OH/Olentangy) netted 13 points, dished a game-high seven assists, gathered four rebounds and blocked one shot. Hiram was led by junior Haley Thompson (Elkridge, MD/Long Reach), who posted 11 points, eight rebounds, three steals and two assists, while sophomore Maddie Rakestraw (Oxnard, CA/Santa Clara) netted seven points, grabbed two boards and earned two steals and classmate Selena Vargas (Colorado Springs, CO/Cheyenne Mountain) pulled in a game-high 14 rebounds to go along with four points, two steals and one assist. The Bishops connected on 43.1 percent (25-of-58) of their shots and went 8-of-15 from the foul line, while the Terriers shot 24.6 percent (16-of-65) from the floor and went 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. Hiram outrebounded Ohio Wesleyan 47-38 and edged out the Battling Bishops bench in points, 12-7. OWU held the advantage in points the paint, 38-22, and second chances points, 15-11.

Fourth-seeded Wittenberg advanced to the NCAC semifinals for the fourth-straight time with a 56-44 victory over fifth-seeded Denison (9-14). The Tigers held a slight 16-13 advantage following the first 10 minutes of play, before holding the Big Red to just two points in the second frame to enter the locker room with an 18-point lead, 33-15. Denison outscored Wittenberg 18-11 in the third quarter to bring the game to within 11, but the Tigers held on for the first-round victory outscoring the Big Red 12-11 in the final stanza. Senior Kristie Kalis (Wilmette, IL/New Trier Township) scored a game-high 16 points to go along with five rebounds, two blocks and one steal for the Tigers, while classmate Delaney Williams (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) posted a game-high nine rebounds, five assists and three steals. Denison was led by freshman Maddie Goodman (Delaware, OH/Olentagy Berlin), who posted 10 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and one steal, while junior Mikaila Carpenter (Orrville, OH/Orrville) netted nine points, grabbed three rebounds and earned one block for the Big Red. Off of the bench, Wittenberg freshman Semie Brar (Fresno, CA/Central East/Chandler Park Academy) recorded six points, three rebounds and two assists, while Denison freshman Molly Fisher (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) tallied seven points, two rebounds, one assist and one steal. Wittenberg shot 37.3 percent (22-of-59) from the field and 6-of-9 from the foul line, while Denison posted a 30.9 shooting percentage (17-of-55) from the floor and connected on 7-of-13 free throws. The Tigers capitalized on fast break points, 17-7, and points off turnovers 18-9, while also holding a slight advantage in points in the paint, 28-24.

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SEEDINGS & PAIRINGS:

DePauw will be the top seed in the 2022 NCAC Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins with quarterfinal games on campus sites on Tuesday evening. Tournament seeding follows the final regular-season standings with the top four seeds hosting quarterfinal contests. The tie between Hiram (4-12) and Kenyon (4-12) for sixth was broken via the conference tiebreaker system for seeding purposes only.

DePauw captured its ninth NCAC women's basketball title in the last ten seasons of conference competition after finishing the 2021-22 regular season with an unblemished 15-0 record against league foes. Wittenberg leads all conference teams with 12 NCAC championships, sharing the crown with Ohio Wesleyan in 1999 and '92. DePauw is next with nine titles, while Allegheny has six, winning five-straight from 1985-89. The Gators shared the NCAC's first championship in 1985 with Wooster. Additionally, Allegheny and Ohio Wesleyan tied for first in 2001. The Battling Bishops own five titles, followed by Denison (4), Kenyon (3) and Wooster (2).

Quarterfinal round games will be played on Tuesday, Feb. 22, with the No. 1 seeded DePauw Tigers hosting eighth-seeded Wooster (3-13) at 6:00 p.m. and second-seeded Oberlin (13-3) hosting seventh-seeded Kenyon at 7:00 p.m. In the other quarterfinal games, third-seeded Ohio Wesleyan (12-4) will play host to sixth-seeded Hiram at 7:30 p.m., and fourth-seeded Wittenberg (10-4) entertains fifth-seeded Denison (7-8) at 8:00 p.m. The quarterfinal games at Ohio Wesleyan and Wittenberg will be part of a doubleheader with the men, who will play prior the women's contests. The gym will be cleared in between those games and separate tickets will be required for both contests.

Tuesday's winners will advance to the semifinals and championship on Friday, Feb. 25, and Saturday, Feb. 26, at the site of the highest remaining seed to emerge from the quarterfinal round. Semifinal games will be held on Friday with the host institution selecting its preferred time. The gym will be cleared in between games and separate tickets will be required for both contests. The championship game is set for 4:00 p.m. on Saturday. 

In the event that one institution hosts both the men's and women's "final four," the women's semifinals will be played on Thursday, Feb. 24, and the men's semifinals will be played on Friday, Feb. 25. The championship games would then be played on Saturday with the women playing at 3:00 p.m. and the men at 7:00 p.m. In this scenario, the gym will be cleared in between games and separate tickets will be required for each contest.

This year's tournament champion will receive an automatic bid to the 2022 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, which begins with first-round play on March 4th and 5th.

TOURNEY TALK: DePauw is the defending NCAC Tournament Champion after defeating Denison 66-47 in the 2020 tournament final to claim the Tigers seventh title ... DePauw along with Wittenberg (8), Denison (7), Ohio Wesleyan (5) and Allegheny (5) have combined to win 32-of-36 women's tournament titles, while Kenyon (2), Oberlin (1) and Wooster (1) account for the four other tournament titles ... Oberlin, which won the tourney title as a three seed in 2018 with a 71-39 victory over fourth-seeded Wittenberg, enters the tournament with the highest seed in program history at No. 2… No. three seed Ohio Wesleyan, which last won the tourney title in 2009 with a 73-65 win over Allegheny, and five seed Denison, which last won the tourney title in 2011 with a 72-54 victory over the Gators have both qualified for the tournament 36 out of the 37 competitive seasons … No. 4 seeded Wittenberg leads all conference teams with 16 appearances in the championship game, while Ohio Wesleyan is close behind with 14. Denison has 13 NCAC finals appearances and Allegheny has reached the finals ten times. DePauw has seven title game appearances, while Kenyon has six, Wooster has four and Oberlin has one ... Hiram, the No. 6 seed, enters the NCAC Tournament for the seventh-consecutive year, looking to advance past the quarterfinal round for the first time in program history ... Seventh-seeded Kenyon looks to advance to the semifinals for the 25th time after falling in the quarterfinal round to Denison 63-43 in 2020 … Wooster enters the tourney as the No. eight seed after missing out in postseason play in both 2019 and '20 … DePauw, entering its 10th NCAC Tournament, carries a 23-2 record in tournament action and the league's highest winning percentage at .920, while Wittenberg is second in tournament play with a .680 winning percentage (49-23). Ohio Wesleyan has gone 46-30 in the tournament (.605), followed by Denison at 41-28 (.594) and Allegheny at 30-30 (.500). 

Spectators Policy: The Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, hosted by various campus sites per tournament seeding, will be conducted as single games in order to manage crowd sizes and traffic flow. The gym will be cleared between games in any facility hosting multiple contests on a single day; and separate tickets will be required for each game. The quarterfinal rounds of the NCAC Tournament are set for Feb. 22 at the respective top four seeds for both men's and women's basketball. The semifinals and championship, hosted by the respective highest remaining men's and women's seeds to emerge from the quarterfinals, are set for Feb. 25-26. The NCAC semifinals for both men and women will be scheduled for 5:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. to allow for adequate time between contests.

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