Rosenquist's Career High 40 Sends DWU Women to Fab Four

(Sioux City, Iowa) - Dakota Wesleyan Women's Basketball faced the first-seeded team in the Duer Quadrant, and the third-ranked team in the nation, the Bethel (Tenn.) Wildcats in the quarterfinals of the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship.

Immediately, the Tigers were ready to get to work, with North Sioux City native Rylee Rosenquist leading the way in her hometown. The senior posted a full 12-18 (66.7%) clip from the field while also converting on 15 free-throw attempts, propelling her to the top of the statsheet as the game progressed. She posted 13 points in the first period to give the Tigers a 21-16 lead after the first period, and would go on to record an astounding 40 points, setting both a new career-high for her, along with finishing just four points shy of the single-game program record. Her presence was felt all over the court, with the Wildcat opposition struggling to contain her, while Emma Yost would supplement the offense with 12 points of her own, along with a team-leading eight assists and six rebounds. The second period favored the Wildcats as their offensive attack got rolling with increased production from three, outscoring the Tigers 26-17 in the frame to take a 42-38 lead into the locker room. The offense would find support from Taliyah Hayes and Maleighya Estes off the bench in their usual roles, with Hayes recording four points, two rebounds, an assist, and a steal, while Estes posted five points and five boards by the end of the contest.

Bethel kept its momentum through the break on offense, but the Tigers were able to match thanks to continued contributions from the starting rotation. Shalayne Nagel and Jaida Young both served in support roles during the contest, combining for eight assists and six rebounds. Meanwhile, back on the scoring front, Avery Broughton posted an impressive 21 points during the game alongside five rebounds and two assists. Her single block also put her in the DWU Women's Basketball history books, reaching a new single-season record for blocks with 72 in total, surpassing Randi Morgan's total of 71 from the 2003-04 season. With the pair of Rosenquist and Broughton combining for over 60 points, the offense continued to find points, but Bethel was able to match, as their top scorers recorded 35 and 21 points each, respectively. The Wildcats kept themselves around two possessions ahead of the Tigers throughout the second half, but a surge in the final few minutes from the Tigers that took advantage of positioning on the glass and crucial forced turnovers closed the gap to just a few points. DWU trailed 75-70 with just under four minutes remaining, but a big jump shot from Rosenquist and a three from Hayes put the Tigers back in the lead for the first time since the first half. The defense would only allow two more points in the final four minutes while letting Rosenquist carry the Tigers the rest of the way, resulting in an 82-77 victory for Dakota Wesleyan. DWU moves on to the semifinal round of the postseason tournament for the fifth time in program history. Also, with the win, head coach Jason Christensen reaches 352 wins as head coach, surpassing the legendary Gordie Fosness for all-time career victories. The team's 29 wins this season also rank fourth-outright in program history.

DWU Women's Basketball will face the first-seeded and fourth-ranked Marian Knights in the 2026 NAIA Championship Semifinals on Monday, March 23rd, at 8:00 PM in the Tyson Events Center.

Box Score

(Story from DWU Sports Information, picture from Tim Tushla)