SAINT PETER, Minn. - The Gustavus women's basketball team has advanced to the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament and will travel to UW-Whitewater for the first and second round of the tournament. The Gusties will start the tournament at 4:45 p.m. on Friday, when they face the No. 17 University of Chicago Maroons in the first round. 

No. 22 UW-Whitewater (19-8, 8-6 WIAC) has been selected as the host for the first and second round and will take on Transylvania (24-4, 16-2 HCAC) in the other first round matchup on Friday night. UW-Whitewater is a familiar host for the Gusties, who traveled there for the 2023 NCAA Tournament as well, defeating Ohio Wesleyan before losing to the Warhawks in the second round. 

TICKET INFORMATION

All tickets will be sold online and there are no cash sales at the door. The purchase of one ticket grants admission for both games on Friday night and fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance. Tickets are $18 for adults and $13 for college students, children, and seniors (60+) and doors open at 3:15 p.m. on Friday.

WAYS TO WATCH

The first and second round of the NCAA Tournament will be streamed live, free of charge. Fans can find the matchup on the MIAC Sports Network and the NCAA Championships Pass or can follow along with the live stats during the contest. 

SETTING THE STAGE

2026 marks the fifth consecutive season in the NCAA Tournament and head coach Laurie Kelly, dating back to 2022. This year marked more uncertainty than other seasons at the start, losing the six players with the most minutes played after last season to graduation. This year's starting five had only scored 268 total points in their careers entering the year and have stepped up in a big way, accounting for 1100 points of the team's 1674 total. Entering the tournament, the Gusties are ranked No. 36 in NPI and were selected as an at-large bid to the tournament after falling to No. 23 Bethel in the MIAC Playoff Semifinals.

The MIAC proved to be one of the toughest conferences in the country, sending four teams into the NCAA Tournament, No. 20 Concordia-Moorhead, No. 23 Bethel, and Saint Mary's, who was the last at-large team selected. Showing the strength of the region, the WIAC was also one of the strongest, sending five teams to the NCAA Tournament, including UW-Whitewater. As for Transylvania, they come from the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference, the HCAC, as the automatic bid and only team selected. 

SCOUTING THE GUSTIES

Gustavus comes into the contest with an 18-8 record, finishing with a 14-4 record in the MIAC and losing in the MIAC Playoff Semifinal. 

Offensively, the team is led by junior Ella Peters (River Falls, Wis.) and sophomore Anna Goodman (Lakeville, Minn.). Peters leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game, including a near school record with 33 points against fellow MIAC Playoff team St. Scholastica. After scoring six, eight, and nine points in the first three games of the season, Peters only dipped below the double digit mark twice since, including a four-game spell with over 20 points. The junior guard has scored 12 or more points in her last eight games and has also used her 6-foot frame to be the lead glass-cleaner for the Gusties, gathering 206 to average 7.9 per game. Peters has garnered six double-doubles this year, half of which came in key games against MIAC Playoff teams and has earned two MIAC Athlete of the Week awards. Goodman has been one of the centerpieces of the team this season playing point, including a 40-minute game in the MIAC Playoff Semifinal over No. 23 Bethel. Goodman's best game of the season offensively came on Valentine's day, scoring 22 points on 7-for-11 shooting from the floor, including a 6-for-8 mark from beyond the arc. In the contest against the Wildcats, Goodman also brought down six rebounds and dished out four assists. The Lakeville native has eclipsed double digits in all three major categories, points, rebounds, and assists and had the third most assists in a single game this season with 10 against St. Olaf. Goodman ranks in the top-20 nationally in three categories, assist/turnover ratio (19th, 1.98), assists (17th, 127), and assists per game (16th, 4.9), while also ranking 71st in the country in steals with 70.

As a team, the team holds an 8.2 scoring margin over opponents, a 7.2 rebounding margin, a 2.5 turnover margin, and a 0.9 assist/turnover ratio. From the floor, the Gusties have shot 41.2 percent, while boasting a 31.5 percent three-point percentage, largely thanks to the group of Goodman and juniors Kaitlyn Schaefer (Eagan, Minn.) and Peyton Stevermer (Mankato, Minn.). Defensively, Goodman leads again, stealing the ball away 70 times from opponents, attributing to the team's 286 total. The team has stolen the ball away 11 times per game and has blocked opponents 66 times, 2.5 per game. 

SCOUTING THE MAROONS

The University of Chicago Maroons enter the NCAA Tournament ranked No. 17 in the country and boast a 17-7 overall record, including a 9-5 conference record in the UAA. 

Annabelle Spotts and Chris Sanders lead the Maroons offensively, averaging 11.8 and 10.0 points respectively as the only players in double-digits. Spotts was named to the UAA All-Association First Team and Sanders to the second team. The only other member of the team to receive recognition was Kate Gross, who received honorable mention status. Sanders has shot 33.7 percent from beyond the arc this season to lead the team, while spots has shot 41.1 percent from the floor and scored the most points overall, finding more balanced scoring. Gross leads the team in assists with 57 while Kasi Samuda leads with 192 rebounds, including 66 offensive. 

As a team, the Maroons have a 6.8 point scoring margin, a 6.9 rebounding margin, a -1.3 turnover margin, and a 0.8 assist/turnover ratio. The Maroons have not relied on one singular player this season, rather going for a well-balanced approach. They shoot 42.5 percent from the field, 30.2 percent from three, and 72.2 percent from the free throw line. Playing in one of the toughest conferences in the country, the Maroons only lead the UAA in one category, fouls per game, but rank in the top 100 in nine categories. Most notably, UChicago is 30th in the country in shooting percentage, 67th in free throw percentage, and 59th in scoring defense. The Maroons only allow 55 points per game, going up against nine opponents who were ranked in the nation's top 25 at the time of the matchup, including No. 1 NYU twice. 

The Gusties and Maroons have never played in women's basketball, marking the 86th opponent in Gustavus women's basketball history. 

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

The second matchup played at UW-Whitewater on Friday night will be UW-Whitewater taking on Transylvania at 7:15 p.m. in Kachel Gymnasium. The Pioneers enter the NCAA Tournament with a record of 24-4 and 16-2 in the HCAC. 

Transylvania has two players averaging over 10 points, Sierra Kemelgor (15.4) and Riley Flinn (13.1), while Makya Grinter averages 9.9. Kemelgor and Flinn were both named to the HCAC All-Conference first team, while Grinter was an honorable mention and first-year Hannah Glisson was named to the All-Newcomer Team. Kemelgor also leads the Pioneers in assists (78) while Flinn leads on the glass, bringing down 172 rebounds. Grinter ranks 44th in the country in steals with 74 as the only player on the team in the top 50 in any individual statistical category. 

The Pioneers have dominated their opponents so far this season, holding a 15.6 scoring margin, 6.8 rebounding margin, 3.4 turnover margin, and 1.0 assist/turnover ratio. On the floor, Transylvania shoots 39.9 percent, 30.7 percent from beyond the arc, and 67.5 percent from the charity stripe. On NCAA stats, the Pioneers only rank outside of the top 100 in 11 of 28 categories, but rank their highest in three point shooting. The Pioneers are 14th in the country in three point attempts per game and three pointers per game, relying heavily on the three ball for their scoring. Flynn and Kemelgor are the two who mainly attempt threes, with Flinn making 35.9 percent of her attempts this season. 

SCOUTING THE WARHAWKS

UW-Whitewater enters as the host of the regional, No. 22 in the D3hoops.com poll, and the No. 10 ranked team according to NPI. The Warhawks finished 19-8, with an 8-6 WIAC record, and lost in the WIAC semifinal to UW-La Crosse, who finished right behind the Warhawks in NPI at No. 11. UW-Whitewater is the only team in the pod that Gustavus has played, topping the Gusties, 47-44 on December 30th. Gustavus held the Warhawks to two points in the second quarter and held a lead as much as 10 in the third quarter, but UW-Whitewater continued to chip away in the defensive battle and pulled past the Gusties in the fourth quarter. The Warhawks have only scored less than 47 once this season, when they lost 55-43 to UW-Oshkosh on January 28th. 

Only one player for UW-Whitewater averages over 10 points, Mia Gillis (12.4), but Bri McCurdy also averaged 9.1. McCurdy scored 11 points in the matchup against the Gusties and Brooke Stenklyft scored 10 to lead the team. Gillis leads the team with 336 points, McCurdy leads with 77 assists, and Renee Rittmeyer leads the Warhawks with 175 rebounds. Gillis ranks 39th in the country in field goal percentage, shooting 50.9 percent from the floor, which stands as the only individual statistic that contains a Warhawk in the top 50. 

Overall, UW-Whitewater boasts a 7.9 scoring margin, a 1.8 rebounding margin, 3.5 turnover margin, and a 0.8 assist/turnover ratio. From the floor, the Warhawks rank 85th in the land, shooting a 40.8 percent clip. The team has struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 27.7 percent from three. For comparison, Transylvania has attempted 768 threes this season, while UW-Whitewater has attempted just 429. From the charity stripe, the team shoots 69.1 percent overall. Depth has been a strong suit for head coach Keri Carollo and her staff, ranking 67th in the country in bench points per game at 22.7. Just like UChicago, scoring defense has been something the Warhawks hang their hat on, only allowing 55.6 points per game. The team's 3.5 turnover margin also ranks in the top 100, coming in at 72nd. 

Gustavus and UChicago play in the first game of the day, tipping off at 4:45 p.m. Central Time before the UW-Whitewater/Transylvania nightcap at 7:15. The winners of both games will play Saturday night in Whitewater as well, tipping off at 7:15 p.m. again.