Point Lookout, MO – Second-seeded College of the Ozarks won their second NCCAA DI Women’s Basketball National Championship in the last three years, defeating #1 Mission University on their home court 75-62 on Saturday, March 22.

#2 College of the Ozarks 77, #7 University of Northwestern 54
 
Swarming defense and tough rebounding was the name of the game for #2 College of the Ozarks, as the Bobcats knocked off #7 University of Northwestern 77-54 to punch their ticket to the semifinals.

• College of the Ozarks opened with a quick 9-3 burst thanks to Blythe Benefield and Susie Moran, before a jumper by Jasmine Sondrol and a three-ball from Taylor Christenson cut the Bobcat lead down to 9-8. The Bobcats would hold Northwestern without a point for the final 5:41 of the opening stanza, as a Keara Mattingley jumper put C of O ahead 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.
• A jumper from Sondrol broke the seal again for UNW in the second quarter, but a Taylor Rush three put the Bobcats back ahead 20-12. A three from Reese Sellars and a jumper by Ella Falk cut the C of O advantage to 28-26, but an 8-0 scoring run from Rush and Logan Jones put College of the Ozarks ahead 36-26 at the intermission.
• The Bobcat defense continued to lock down UNW, opening the second half on an 16-2 run thanks in part to an and-one play from Moran and a shot from distance by Abbey Linville. Shots from Lexi Garcia and Ryann Eddy got the Eagles back in the game for a moment, before an Avery Arnold three and a Mattingly layup squelched the rally, and College of the Ozarks took a 63-43 advantage into the final frame.
• College of the Ozarks continued to roll along in the fourth, with Abigail McBride and Moran picking up a pair of buckets as the Bobcats held UNW to 14.3% from the field in the final quarter, rolling to the 77-54 victory.
• Jones led College of the Ozarks with 15 points while adding five rebounds and four steals. Moran recorded a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, with nine of those boards coming in the first quarter. 
   

Semifinal: #2 College of the Ozarks 76, #6 Oakland City University 71
 
Clutch buckets in the fourth quarter helped #2 College of the Ozarks complete the come-from-behind victory, knocking off #6 Oakland City University 76-71 to clinch a spot in the semifinals. 

• It took a while for either side to lift the lid off the cylinder early, but a jumper from Susie Moran and a triple by Logan Jones gave College of the Ozarks an early 10-3 lead. An Ellen Meeringa shot from distance for Oakland City back in the game, but the Bobcats continued to work inside as layups from Moran and Blythe Benefield put C of O on top 16-8 at the end of the first quarter.
• The Bobcats continued to work hard in the paint, picking up scores from Moran and Jones inside. Emilee Hope hit a triple for the Mighty Oaks, but a three-ball from Taylor Rush and a tough putback from Moran gave College of the Ozarks a 31-20 lead at the break.
• Oakland City opened the third quarter on a quick seven-point scoring burst, thanks in part to scores from Courtney Dove and Monesjia Harvey, before a jumper from Taylor Williams cut the Bobcat lead down to 41-35. A trio of shots from beyond the arc by Hope, Rhylan Kalb, and Gabrielle Joyner cut the Bobcats lead to just two late in the period, and a steal and score by Kyrisha Hay gave the Mighty Oaks a 48-47 lead. A Hope jumper put Oakland City ahead by three, but Moran beat the buzzer for the end of the quarter, and the Bobcats trailed 50-49 heading into the final period.
• College of the Ozarks retook the lead early in the fourth off a Logan Jones three-pointer, but a jumper from Kalb put the Mighty Oaks back ahead 55-52 with 6:54 left in the game. Both sides traded shots, with Oakland City holding on to a one-point lead, before three straight scores from Benefield put C of O ahead 67-66 with 1:28 left in the contest, and and-one layup by Abbey Linville extended the lead to 70-66 with 1:00 remaining. A three from Hope kept the Mighty Oaks in the game, but the Bobcats made their free throws down the stretch to clinch the 76-71 victory.
• Moran led the way for the Cats with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Benefield added 16 points and eight boards.

Championship: #2 College of the Ozarks 75, #1 Mission University 62

• The contest opened with a great show of sportsmanship, as, despite suffering an injury in Thursday’s semifinals, Brooklyn Luna scored the first basket of the game for Mission. College of the Ozarks answered with a layup and the game started 2-2.
• College of the Ozarks took an early 10-6 lead, but a three from Cassidy Hambelton and a jumper by Heaven Shockley put Mission ahead 11-10. The run continued for the Patriots, with Josie Sullivan nailing a three before Hambelton added one of her own to swell the lead to 21-12 for Mission. Susanna Moran started to get going for the Bobcats, converting on an and-one opportunity before hitting a jumper at the end of the frame, cutting Mission’s lead to 23-19 after one.
• College of the Ozarks opened the second stanza on a 14-2 run, and a pair of corner threes from Avery Arnold and a Logan Jones jumper put the Bobcats ahead 33-25 with 7:31 left in the second quarter. Ireland Jones connected on an and-one chance to stop the run, but Blythe Benefield nailed a jumper off an acrobatic pass from Moran to keep the Bobcats ahead. Hambelton nailed two floaters at the end of the frame, but Keara Mattingley connected on a pair of layups to keep College of the Ozarks on top 43-32 at the break.
• Mission opened the second half with a run of their own, as Josie Sullivan nailed a three-pointer out of the gate, before her and Jones added two more layups to cut the Bobcat lead to 43-39. Moran got College of the Ozarks on the board with a layup, and then Sullivan hit another three to stay within striking distance, before a jumper from Benefield kept the Bobcats ahead 50-42. Taylor Rush hit a layup to swell the lead to double digits before a Sullivan jumper cut into the Bobcat advantage, and College of the Ozarks took a 54-45 lead into the fourth quarter.
• A pair of threes from Shockley and Hambelton got the Patriots back into the game, and a jumper from Hambelton after forcing a ten-second violation cut College of the Ozarks lead down to 59-54 with 6:08 left in the contest. After a timeout, the Bobcats answered with a steal and score from Jones, before Benefield found Moran inside to put CofO back up by 10, and another Moran bucket with 90 seconds left iced it, and College of the Ozarks claimed the national championship with a 75-62.
• Benefield led CofO with 20 points and hauled down seven boards and recorded three steals. Moran finished with a double-double, scoring 15 points and pulling down 15 rebounds.

The Lady Cats claimed their second NCCAA Championship in the last three years and the performance of both Susie Moran and Blythe Benefield earned each of them All-Tournament Team honors. Susie Moran was named the Tournament Most Outstanding Player and the Lady Cats wrapped up the 2024-25 season with a 23-11 record.