MOORHEAD, MINN.—The No. 3 seed Bethel University women's basketball team won the 2025-26 MIAC Women's Basketball Playoff Championship with a 62-55 victory over top-seed Concordia (Minn.) in Moorhead, Minnesota on Saturday. This marks the Royals' second MIAC Women's Basketball Playoff title, also winning it in 2020.
Bethel has earned the MIAC's automatic qualifier into the 2025-26 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship. They will learn the opponent and game location on the selection show, scheduled for Monday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m. (ET) on www.ncaa.com
Bethel improves to 22-6, while the Cobbers fall to 23-4.
Bethel 62, Concordia 55
Both teams combined for 11-of-34 (.324) shooting in a first quarter that saw three lead changes, two tied scores, and a Cobbers lead for 6:43 of time. It was the Royals who were in the driver's seat when it counted most as Colette Duininck's two free throws and three-pointer capped their 9-0 run over the final five minutes of the frame, which dug them out of a 13-7 deficit en route to a 16-13 lead after 10:00 of play.
The second quarter also resulted in three lead changes and two tied scores. Bethel committed just one turnover and shot 5-of-15 (.333) in a frame that saw both teams no more than four points within each other. Both four-point cushions belonged to the Royals, which included a 27-23 advantage off Alaina Bonacquista's jumper with 3:25 on the clock. The Cobbers responded with a 7-2 run that ended with two free throw makes from Taylor Safranski with 00:13 left, which gave them a 30-29 halftime lead.
Bethel held Concordia to just six field goal attempts in a third quarter that resulted in a 21-14 scoring advantage. The Royals shot 8-of-16 (.500), and had four blocks in the frame en route to a 50-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter, where they were in front the whole way to secure a 62-55 victory!
Emily Erickson paced Bethel with 15 points on 6-of-15 shooting. Cally Peterson had 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists, and two blocks. Rounding out the double figure Royals was Colette Duininck, who had 12 points, four assists, and three steals. Elly Schmitz finished with a team-leading three blocks to go with six rebounds.
The Royals shot .355 (22-of-62) while the Cobbers had a .408 (20-of-49) mark.
Concordia had eight players score at least four points, led by Kaia Gack's 10.
