By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University women's basketball team is set to begin the NCAA Division III National Tournament against Millikin University (Illinois) on Friday, March 1 in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Game time is set for 5:15 p.m. CST / 3:15 p.m. PST. The Bearcats have received their first national tournament berth since joining NCAA Division III in 1998-99.
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WU's only previous national-level competition was at the NAIA Division II National Tournament in 1995-96, when Willamette lost to Georgetown (Ky.) in the first round. More recently, Willamette has qualified for the Northwest Conference tournament in three of the last six seasons, including this year.
The Bearcats enter Friday's game with a 17-9 overall record and a 12-3 mark in the team's last 15 games. Millikin University is 22-5 on the season and is ranked #20 in the D3hoops.com Top 25. In the other first round game at the Whitewater Regional, the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (22-4) will battle the University of Minnesota-Morris (17-10) at 7:45 p.m. CST / 5:45 p.m. PST. UW-Whitewater is ranked #9 in the D3hoops.com Top 25. The first round winners will meet in the Regional Championship game on Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. CST / 5:30 p.m. PST.
Willamette has limited its opponents to just 61.9 points per game, 37.6% shooting, and just 26.3% success on 3-pointers. The Bearcats have held 11 opponents to fewer than 60 points. WU has allowed 50 or fewer points five times, including a season low of 43 points by Lewis & Clark College on Feb. 17, 2024.
On offense, the Bearcats have averaged 15.3 assists per game. Willamette has scored on 173 three-point shots (6.7 made 3-pointers per game). The Bearcats scored a season-high 91 points in a 91-58 win over Illinois Tech on Nov. 25, 2023.
Carolyn Ho (Sr., G, Parker, CO/Ponderosa HS) was chosen First Team All-NWC and was the NWC Defensive Player of the Year. She consistently provided the Bearcats with a strong line of statistics from nearly every game. She averaged 10.7 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.6 assists (which led the NWC), 2.8 steals, and 0.6 blocked shots per contest. She shot 51.% from the field and led the NWC with 89.3% accuracy at the free throw line.
Elyse Waldal (Jr., F, Snohomish, WA/Glacier Peak HS/Linfield University) was named First Team All-NWC. She is Willamette's top scorer with 12.0 points per game. She leads the NWC with 40.8% three-point shooting and ranks first for the Bearcats with 51 made 3-pointers. Waldal also has contributed 4.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game.
Ava Kitchin (Sr., P, Redmond, OR/Redmond HS), Kaitlin Imai (So., G, Santa Cruz, CA/Scotts Valley HS), and Megan River (Sr., G, Tumwater, WA/A.G. West Black Hills HS) were selected Honorable Mention All-NWC.
Kitchin leads the Bearcats with 6.0 rebounds per game and has supplied 8.1 points per contest. Imai registered 10.3 points per game, while earning 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 0.9 steals per game. She shot 80.8% at the free throw line. River was credited with 6.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest.
Ashley Collins (Sr., P, Chino Hills, CA/Chino Hills HS) tops the roster with 57.1% field goals shooting. She is averaging 6.0 points per game.
Millikin is located in Decatur, Illinois. The Big Blue are averaging 84.1 points per game and allowing 67.2 points per night. Elyce Kndusen (Sr., G) leads Millikin and is ranked second in NCAA Division III with 25.8 points per game, while shooting 53.6% from the field and 39.7% on 3-point attempts. She has made 84.3% of her free throws, while averaging 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists.
Other top scorers for the Big Blue are Bailey Coffman with 14.9 points per contest and Sophie Darden with 14.7 points per game. Darden ranks first on the team with 5.0 offensive rebounds and 9.2 total rebounds per game, while Coffman is second with 6.3 total boards per night. Darden also leads the Big Blue with 2.4 steals per game.
