Region 4 winners square off at NJCAA Division II Championships

PORT HURON, MICH. - Entering the 2023 NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championships as the top overall seed, Morton College had visions of leaving SC4 Fieldhouse with some significant hardware. One year after a magical run to a national runner-up finish, the Panthers settled for a fifth place game victory over fellow Region 4 representative Bryant & Stratton College to close out the 2022-23 season. 

Morton College arrived at the national tournament with a perfect record at 31-0, and had no trouble against #16 United Tribes Tech with a 78-47 win in the first round. Eventual national runner-up and #8-seed Richard Bland proved to be the first and only team to get the best of the Panthers, with a narrow 69-63 decision in the quarterfinals. Now eliminated from title contention, the Panthers rebounded with a 69-55 defeat of #4 Johnson County in the consolation bracket.

Bryant & Stratton College opened tournament play as the #6 seed, and advanced through the first round with a 56-47 win over #11 Niagara County. Much like Morton, the Bobcats met their match in the quarterfinals with an 86-43 setback against #3 Kirkwood. A hard-fought 78-72 decision over #7 Pima in the consolation bracket sent BSC into the fifth place game against Morton College.

In a rematch of a November 22 meeting won by the Panthers 81-63 on their home floor, the region foes squared off with a chance to end their season with a win. A 13-0 run by the Bobcats in the first quarter led to a 26-17 after ten minutes. The Panthers answered in the second quarter with a 18-6 surge that put them in front until a BSC three-pointer from Lacyia Hill sent the teams into halftime with Bryant & Stratton College up 40-39. A low-scoring third quarter won by Morton College evened the score at 51-51 entering the fourth, where the Panthers slowly pulled away for a 69-61 victory. 

Kaylen Evans led four double-digit scorers for Morton College with 23 points. Mia Simpson finished with 11 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Teya Maas of Bryant & Stratton College posted a game-high double-double of 26 points and 19 rebounds, with two others also scoring ten or more points. Evans, Simpson, and Maas were all named to the NJCAA All-Tournament Team.

Morton College ended the season with a 34-1 record, while Bryant & Stratton College was 29-7.