Official Championship Page
INDIANAPOLIS – Eight teams are in contention to cut down the nets on Saturday as the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship tournament starts this evening with quarterfinal action.
Four member institutions will host opening round playoff games, including three teams that tied for first in the standings as co-regular season champions, No. 1 Walsh, No. 2 Kentucky Wesleyan and No. 3 Cedarville. No. 4 Findlay will also host a first-round playoff game in Croy Gymnasium.
No. 5 Hillsdale, No. 6 Malone, No. 7 Ohio Dominican and No. 8 Trevecca Nazarene, will be the away teams with their eyes on an upset. The winner of the conference tournament will receive an automatic qualifying bid into the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional.
The all-conference team and individual award winners will be unveiled at the championship banquet on Thursday evening.
The final four teams will gather at the top remaining seed for the semifinals and championship game on Friday and Saturday.
No. 6 Malone (15-13) vs. No. 3 Cedarville (22-6)
5:30 p.m. ET
Cedarville, OH
Why Malone can win
The Pioneers boast the league’s top scoring defense, locking down opponents to the tune of 60.5 points per game. In a close game, MU can close it out at the charity stripe shooting over 74 percent, second best in the conference this season. Robin Campbell is tied for fourth in the league in scoring as a freshman; she was a conference athlete of the week selection this season. Chrissie Vaughan is very underrated with her ability to shoot from distance and fill up the box score in other statistical categories.
Why Cedarville can win
Shooters, shooters, shooters. Kari Hoffman’s program moves the ball all over the floor with precision to set up open looks. The Yellow Jackets can light it up from deep in a hurry with Baylee Bennett, Regina Hochstetler and Abby Wolford, torching the nets from three. Cedarville is undefeated at home this year (13-0). 6-0 freshman Alli Roh, the most recent conference athlete of the week, is an X factor for the program’s hopeful tournament run. Relatively easily, Cedarville is the best shooting team in the league from the field, free throw and three-point line.
No. 7 Ohio Dominican (15-13) vs. No. 2 Kentucky Wesleyan (22-6)
4:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. CT)
Owensboro, KY
Why Ohio Dominican can win
Alexa Fisher and Angela Troyer have been as potent of a 1-2 scoring combo as anyone around the league this year, combining for nearly 30 points per game. Each have been named conference athletes of the week and Alexis Overly provides the Panthers with another talented double-digit scoring option. Ohio Dominican has already beaten a handful of playoff teams throughout the course of the regular season, including Findlay twice, Malone twice, Hillsdale and Trevecca Nazarene.
Why Kentucky Wesleyan can win
A 15-game win streak in 2018-19 and firm position for two straight weeks in the Midwest Region rankings make the Panthers a force to be reckoned with in the playoffs. Jenna Martin, Keelie Lamb and Kaylee Clifford, set the tone on offense as double-digit scorers. This group topped the league in scoring (77.8 ppg). KWC was the winner in the regular-season meeting against ODU. The Panthers, like Cedarville, are also undefeated at home in the Sportscenter with a 15-0 record.
No. 8 Trevecca Nazarene (12-16) vs. No. 1 Walsh (22-6)
5:30 p.m. ET
North Canton, OH
Why Trevecca Nazarene can win
The Trojans have a trio of double-digit scoring options with Brittin Boyer, Adi Hale and Olivia Pepperman. Boyer has been named the conference athlete of the week and has established herself as one of the league’s best scorers/rebounders. The program has overcome a tough loss with an injury to guard Callie Hackett and qualified for the playoffs in the second year of the Chad Hibdon coaching era.
Why Walsh can win
Walsh went through the month of February unbeaten and come into the playoffs as the top overall seed on an 11-game win streak. The Cavaliers beat their opponents by an average of almost 15 points per game. Freshman Quionche Carter was a two-time pick for conference athlete of the week; there is a steady veteran presence on the roster and in WU’s last three games, three different players have emerged as the team’s leading scorer.
No. 5 Hillsdale (16-12) vs. No. 4 Findlay (20-7)
5:30 p.m. ET
Findlay, OH
Why Hillsdale can win
As defending conference tournament champs, Hillsdale is back where it was a year ago as a No. 5 seed. As winners in eight of their last nine, the Chargers are a very tough draw in the opening round. Sandwiched in that streak are marquee wins over Cedarville and Findlay. Allie Dewire, Brittany Gray and Makenna Ott, were all key contributors to last year’s postseason run and have that desired NCAA Championship experience as a national qualifier.
Why Findlay can win
Senior forward Anna Hintz puts up monster numbers with ease with her inside-outside scoring ability. She was the league leader in scoring, rebounding and free throw percentage, and was second in field goal percentage while securing athlete of the week honors multiple times for her efforts. The Oilers were a shiny 11-2 in Croy at home. Allie Thobe is tenacious on defense; she and Elissa Ellerbrock will help stretch the floor as teams try to collapse down on Hintz.
All conference tournament games will be streamed on the Great Midwest Digital Network, accessible online, through Roku devices, Apple TV, AndroidTV or Amazon Fire TV. On the OTT apps, search “Great Midwest” to download.