By Ron Smith
March 21, 2021
 
(SIOUX CITY, Iowa) Having defeated #7 Clarke (Iowa) in the quarterfinals of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship, #2 Westmont (13-1) is preparing to take on #11 Indiana Wesleyan (25-6) in Monday night's semifinal game.
 
The Wildcats finished second in the Crossroads League, posting a record of 12-4 in conference play. Indiana Wesleyan entered the Crossroads League Championship Tournament as the number two seed and defeated Goshen (Ind.) by a score of 74-65 and Taylor (Ind.) by a score of 85-64. Those wins set the Wildcats up for a showdown with #5 Marian (Ind.), who was the regular season conference champion and the number one seed.
 
Indiana Wesleyan had lost both of its previous games with Marian, but posted a 77-67 win in the championship game to earn a spot in the national championship.
 
In the NAIA Opening Round Tournaments, the Wildcats were named the number one seed in the Crestview Hills Bracket B where they defeated Indiana Tech 80-63 to earn a trip to Sioux City.
 
In the Round of 16, Indiana Wesleyan knocked off #8 Southeastern (Fla.) by a score of 83-70, then upset #3 Campbellsville (Ky.), outscoring the Tigers 65-53, to advance to the semifinals.
 
The Wildcats are no stranger to national championship play having qualified 18 times in the NAIA Division II Women's Basketball tournament and winning the title in 2007 and again in 2013. In national tournament play, Indiana Wesleyan has a record of 30-24.
 
The Wildcats average 75.5 points per game, 12.7 more than their opponents. They like shooting from distance, averaging 9.39 made 3-point field goals per game, which ranks 11th in the NAIA. From the free throw line, the Wildcats lead the NAIA with an 82.5% conversion rate (419 of 508).
 
Senior forward Anne Secrest (6-1) leads Indiana Wesleyan both in scoring at 14.8 points per game and in rebounding at 6.8 boards per game. Secrest has a 50.2 field goal percentage including 45.5% from beyond the arc.
 
Dayton Groninger, a 6-0 senior forward, is putting up 12.8 points per game and pulling down 4.7 rebounds per game. Junior guard Gabby Suarez averages 10.6 points and a team-best 3.6 assists per game.
 
The Warriors, who have a record of 20-13 in national championship play, are making their fourth trip to the quarterfinals  Westmont won the NAIA Division I tournament in 2013 and was runner-up in 2018.
 
In this year's tournament, Iyree Jarrett is the second-highest scorer, averaging 27.5 points per game. Stefanie Berberabe is seventh at 20.5 points per game. Lauren Tsuneishi's seven made 3-pointers is the most in tournament play. Sydney Brown's three blocks ties for first while Berberabe ranks third for most assists with nine. Jarrett's nine assists is tied for fourth. Berberabe is first in assist-to-turnover ratio at 10.0.
 
The Warriors and Wildcats will tip off at 8:05 p.m. local time tomorrow, 6:05 p.m. Pacific Time. The game will be shown exclusively on ESPN3, which can be accessed at espn.com/watch.