OSHKOSH, Wis. (WLCSports.com) – Wisconsin Lutheran College used a dominant second quarter and a strong defensive effort to pull away for a 65-47 win over Saint Mary's (MN) in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Tournament on Friday at Kolf Sports Center.
The victory was the fourth NCAA Tournament win in program history for the Warriors and their first since 2019. It also marked WLC's largest margin of victory in an NCAA Tournament game.
Wisconsin Lutheran (24-5) advances to face No. 4 UW-Oshkosh (25-3) on Saturday at 7:15 p.m. in a second-round matchup. The Titans defeated Webster 53-37 in the other first-round game.
The Cardinals jumped out to an early advantage in the opening quarter. After trading baskets early, SMU used a 13-0 run midway through the period to take a 15-4 lead with 2:54 remaining. Saint Mary's surged to its largest lead of the game after holding the Warriors scoreless for over six minutes. WLC closed the quarter with a 5-0 burst, highlighted by a three-pointer from junior
Margie Stevens (Oneida, Wis.), but still trailed 15-9 after one.
Wisconsin Lutheran turned the game around in the second quarter. A jumper from Stevens and a three-pointer from freshman
Madeline Leffel (Germantown, Wis.) sparked the rally before freshman
Kenly Frey's (Brookfield, Wis.) three-pointer with 6:24 remaining capped a 12-2 scoring run to give the Warriors a 21-17 lead. WLC shot 53.3 percent in the quarter and knocked down all four of its three-point attempts, using a 25-13 scoring advantage in the period to take a 34-28 lead into halftime after Frey knocked down another three right before the buzzer.
Wisconsin Lutheran continued to build momentum in the third quarter. After the Cardinals briefly cut the deficit to two points early, the Warriors responded with an 8-0 run, highlighted by three-point plays from Leffel and freshman
Maddie Ratzow (Oconomowoc, Wis.), to push the lead to double digits. A late bucket by sophomore
Abby Cole (Fond du Lac, Wis.) extended the margin to 48-34 before the SMU hit two free throws in the final seconds to make it 48-36 entering the fourth.
WLC put the game away in the final quarter. A layup from Cole and a three-pointer from Stevens helped Wisconsin Lutheran stretch the lead to 56-40 midway through the period. Frey later added a basket in the paint as the Warriors pushed the advantage to as many as 20 points with just over three minutes remaining before closing out the 18-point victory.
WLC shot 41.7 percent (25-of-60) from the field and held Saint Mary's to 29.1 percent (16-of-55) shooting.
Stevens led Wisconsin Lutheran with 23 points and 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season, while Frey added 14 points and seven rebounds. Leffel also scored in double figures with 10 points. Cole paced the Warriors on the glass with a game-high 11 rebounds. Senior
Jayden Hill (Kenosha, Wis.) added eight rebounds and three assists.
Hadley Sammons led the Cardinals with 13 points, while Brianna Nusbaum added 11. Kali Olson grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. SMU finished its season with a 20-8 record.
