ORANGE CITY, Iowa — No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball traveled to Iowa to face the Northwestern Red Raiders to close the regular season.
The Tigers were the first to score, with Avery Broughton getting to work immediately, setting the pace for the rest of the offense with her presence towards the glass on both sides of the floor. She would record 12 first-quarter points and would work all her way to a 30-point, 14-rebound performance, setting a new career-high for the junior, while also adding four assists, a block, and a steal to her final statline. Her initial run gave the Tigers the advantage at the end of the first, 24-18, and would pave the way for other members of the offense to get involved in the middle portions of the game. Scoring would slow down slightly towards halftime, but Emma Yost helped the Tigers keep the lead, recording six of her 23 total points in the second frame, adding four boards, four assists, and a block, along with eight made free throws to her final tally. Shalayne Nagel would join Broughton in recording double-digit rebounds, posting 10 in total, while also adding seven points, an assist, and a block by the end of the game. The Tigers would outrebound the Red Raiders 46-32 and more than double their points in the paint to keep control through the first half, heading into the break with a 38-33 lead.
The second half saw Dakota Wesleyan continue its production on offense while keeping Northwestern multiple possessions behind for the remainder of the contest. Jaida Young and Rylee Rosenquist rounded out the starting lineup, with Young nearing a double-double at 10 points and eight rebounds, and Rosenquist recording six points, a team-leading five assists, and three rebounds to add to the scoring effort as DWU kept its lead. Off the bench, Taliyah Hayes would record three points, two boards, and two assists, while fellow senior Maleighya Estes posted two points on free throws. Overall, the Tigers were able to outshoot the Raiders from the field, 47.6% to 35.4, along with a higher free-throw percentage on more opportunities, which helped push them all the way to an 81-65 victory. The Tigers end the regular season with a 22-6 overall record and an 18-4 record in conference, securing the second seed in the 2026 GPAC Women's Basketball Championship Tournament.
DWU Women's Basketball will host the seventh-seeded Doane Tigers at the Corn Palace in the first round of the GPAC Tournament on Wednesday, February 25th, at 7:00 PM. See the full 2025-26 schedule here.