SIOUX CITY, Iowa—When Southeastern won a game in the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament last season, it made Sun Conference history.
The Fire will look to make a little more history this afternoon when they face Dakota Wesleyan in the national quarterfinal.
It would be the furthest a Sun Conference women's team had ever advanced, and would mark the eighth time the league has been represented in the national semifinal round in either men's or women's basketball.
In 80 minutes of national tournament basketball,
Ana Richter is 15-of-16 from the field. The senior has scored 40 points. Last season, in three NAIA tournament games, she scored 33 points.
Marlena Schmidt has made a strong case for the All-Tournament team, posting 13 blocked shots in two games, and is a perfect 12-for-12 at the free throw line.
Dakota Wesleyan is the third-highest scoring team in the tournament thus far, having averaged 77 points per game. The Tigers have shot 51% from the field, 35.9% from 3-point range, and 82% at the free throw line.
No stranger to this tournament, Dakota Wesleyan is looking for its third trip to the national semifinal in its sixth appearance in Sioux City. The Tigers are 29-6, and lost 90-88 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament championship game to Concordia (Neb.).
Senior twins Amber and Ashley Bray each average 14 points per game, and have combined to connect on 111 3-pointers. Both recorded 68 assists and 43 turnovers.
The game starts at 2 p.m. Eastern Time, with the winner playing in the Fab Four on Monday at 7 p.m. Eastern.
