ALVA, Okla. – The Northwestern Oklahoma State women's basketball team makes its debut at the NCAA Central Region Tournament on Friday, March 13, when they take on Concordia-St. Paul at 2:30 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato, Minnesota. With a victory, the Lady Rangers would take on the winner between Fort Hays State and Harding on Saturday, March 14.

Minnesota State finished as the No. 1 seed in the region, making them the host for the tournament.

Northwestern earned the way into the tournament by winning the Great American Conference tournament, beating East Central, Arkansas Tech, and Southeastern to claim the program's first GAC title. In the 71-64 victory over Southeastern in the GAC championship, GAC Player of the Year Kira Bass scored 24 points and grabbed 11 boards for her 14^th double-double of the season.

Bass averaged 20.5 points per game on 49% shooting to lead in the GAC in scoring and place in the top 10 of Division II, and finished second in the conference in rebounds by averaging 9.6 rebounds per game. Kennedy Hight is second in scoring for the Lady Rangers, as she averages 9.5 points per game, while Summya Adigun is third with 9.2 points per game, and second in rebounds with 5.4 per game.

Northwestern's opponent, the Golden Bears of Concordia-St. Paul, defeated Minnesota State, 79-71, to win the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference tournament and clinch an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. The No. 22 Golden Bears (24-6) are on a 16-game winning streak, which is the third longest streak in their program's history.

Concordia had five double-digit scorers in their win over the Mavericks, with Lauren Wilson leading the way with 18 points and 17 rebounds to secure the win. Lydia Haack dropped 17 points, grabbed six rebounds, recorded eight assists and had five steals in the win, and Ashley Schuelke scored 17 points along with three blocks and steals to help contain Minnesota State.

Haack leads the Golden Bears in scoring this season, averaging 18 points per game and dropping 6.2 assists per game, good for fourth in Division II. Wilson is not far behind in scoring, averaging 17.3 pointers per game and collecting 8.7 rebounds per game.

This will be the first meeting between the Lady Rangers and Golden Bears, and it is the second season in a row that Concordia-St. Paul is the No.2 seed in the region, as they fell to Southwest Minnesota State last season in the Central Region quarterfinals, 77-64. Since 2022, the seven seed in the Central Region is 4-0 against the No. 2 seed, 9-2 in the region and 12-3 in the NCAA tournament. The Lady Rangers are 3-2 all time against Northern Sun teams.

Following Friday's quarterfinal round, semifinals are on Saturday, March 14 and the regional title game is on Monday, March 16.

The Central Region champion will join seven other regional champions in Pittsburgh, Pa. at the NCAA Division II Women's Elite Eight from March 24-28.

Fans can purchase tickets for the NCAA tournament by going to https://msumavericktickets.universitytickets.com/, with tickets priced at $10 per session for adults and $5 for youth, students, and senior citizens, watch live at https://www.ncaa.com/game/6537990, or listen live on KRDR 105.7 FM or online at alvaradio.com.

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