NAIA WOMEN'S BASKETBALL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT
Ashland, Ore. | Lithia Motors Pavilion
Friday's Games (Round of 64)
4 p.m. – (5) Menlo (Calif.) vs. (12) Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) | Live Stats
6 p.m. – (4) Southern Oregon vs. (13) Antelope Valley (Calif.) | Live Stats
Saturday's Game (Round of 32)
4 p.m. – TBD

LIVE STREAMS | TICKETS | BRACKET | TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

ASHLAND – One of 16 spots at the final site of the NAIA Women's Basketball National Tournament is on the line as the first and second rounds come to Lithia Motors Pavilion for the first time this weekend.

As the No. 4 seed in the Duer Quadrant of the 64-team bracket, Southern Oregon (27-4 overall) hosts No. 13 seed Antelope Valley (Calif.) (20-10) at 6 p.m. Friday in the first round. Whoever gets out of that matchup will play in the second round at 4 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Friday's 4 p.m. first-round game between No. 5 seed Menlo (Calif.) (18-8) and No. 12 seed Lindsey Wilson (Ky.) (19-11).

The remainder of the tournament plays out March 21-26 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Saturday's winner will be lined up for a potential Round of 16 matchup with the quadrant's top seed, No. 3-ranked Campbellsville (Ky.).

An overview of the teams headed to Ashland follows in order of seeding:

No. 4 SOUTHERN OREGON (27-4)
Ashland, Ore. | Cascade Conference (20-2, 1st)
NAIA Ranking: No. 18
Offensive Rating: 96.0 points/100 possessions (70th)
Defensive Rating: 76.6 points allowed/100 possessions (8th)
Last 10: 10-0
Summary: An active 17-game winning streak boosted the Raiders to a No. 4 seed and made them favorites to reach the final site for the first time in the tournament's current format. They claimed CCC regular-season and tournament titles – winning both in the same season for the first time in eight years – on the strength of a defense that has found a new gear after perennially ranking among the NAIA's best under CCC Coach of the Year Carlotta Kloppenburg-Pruitt. They're giving up fewer points per game (52.7) than all but four of 228 teams in the NAIA and have held 10 consecutive opponents under 60 in Ashland. Offensively, they feature one of the country's most dependable inside-out tandems in senior forward Kami Walk (15.0 points, 7.6 rebounds), a three-time All-CCC CCC selection, and point guard Meghan McIntyre (16.0 points, 3.5 assists), the CCC Newcomer of the year. The pair combined to average 36.3 points during the CCC Tournament and has benefited from the spacing provided by SOU's improved 3-point shooting: Over their last 16 games, the Raiders are averaging nine 3-point makes per game on 36% accuracy, which would both be top-10 marks over a full season.
Tournament History: The Raiders are making their 15th all-time national playoff appearance and their eighth in nine seasons. They've qualified three years in a row since the NAIA's two divisions merged into one, reaching the second round each of the last two seasons and advancing last year after erasing a 29-point deficit in the first round against Wayland Baptist (Texas). They've faced Antelope Valley once previously in postseason play, winning 77-66 in the first round of the 2018 Division II tournament. Their deepest run was in 2016, when they got to the title game for the first time.

No. 5 MENLO (18-8)
Atherton, Calif. | Golden State Athletic Conference (11-3, 2nd)
NAIA Ranking: No. 23
Offensive Rating: 96.8 points/100 possessions (62nd)
Defensive Rating: 84.6 points allowed/100 possessions (69th)
Last 10: 6-4
Summary: Following a 71-68 loss to SOU on Dec. 8 – a game decided by Kami Walk's tiebreaking 3 with a minute left – the Oaks immediately launched an 11-game winning streak that positioned them to receive their at-large bid. Their size and athleticism make them dangerous: 6-foot-1 senior Kiara Brown (16.6 points, 9.8 rebounds) has twice received NAIA All-America honorable mention, 6-1 junior Jordyn Rosette (13.6 points, 4.2 rebounds) is an All-GSAC performer and a 42% shooter from 3, and 6-foot senior Jasmyne Huggins (11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds) is the team's third-leading scorer. That trio helped the Oaks secure four wins against national qualifiers in GSAC play as they finished one game back of No. 8-ranked Vanguard, a team they defeated by 21 points on the road in mid-January.
Tournament History: The Oaks are in the tournament for the 12th time overall and the third consecutive season, but they last got out of the first round in 2018. This appearance marks their last in the NAIA before they become an NCAA Division II affiliate of the Pacific West Conference in 2024-25.

No. 12 LINDSEY WILSON (19-11)
Columbia, Ky. | Mid-South Conference (6-6, 4th)
NAIA Ranking: RV
Offensive Rating: 104.9 points/100 possessions (18th)
Defensive Rating:  94.3 points allowed/100 possessions (169th)
Last 10: 5-5
Summary: The Blue Raiders' .500 Mid-South record can be accurately described as deceptive: They play in a seven-team conference that produced five national qualifiers and put three teams among the top-15 in the final NAIA coaches' poll. LWC's offense is among the most efficient in the country, led in scoring by junior forward Lucy Patterson (12.3 points, 8.4 rebounds) and in operation by sophomore point guard Amelia Hodges (10.9 points, 2.4 assists), who is in large part responsible for the Blue Raiders committing the fifth-fewest turnovers per game (11.1) in the NAIA. Hodges and Sydnie Hall (9.7 points) have combined to hit 104 3-pointers on 36% accuracy, and Taylor Guess (9.8 points) has become another weapon on the outside as the Mid-South's Freshman of the Year. Among their best wins were three against Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.), which is in the tourney as a No. 13 seed.
Tournament History: The Blue Raiders are postseason regulars, in the field for the 18th time and making their ninth national playoff appearance in the last 10 seasons. They're 0-2 in the current iteration of the tournament and scored their most recent win in the 2019 Division I first round.

No. 13 ANTELOPE VALLEY (20-10)
Lancaster, Calif. | California Pacific Conference (16-4, 1st)
NAIA Ranking: NR
Offensive Rating: 85.9 points/100 possessions (144th)
Defensive Rating: 78.0 points allowed/100 possessions (15th)
Last 10: 8-2
Summary: The Pioneers are attempting to keep the Antelope Valley name alive as long as possible after the school abruptly shut down operations last month, triggering a successful fundraising effort that enabled them to play on. The timing was especially unfortunate considering they were in the middle of rolling through the Cal Pac behind senior all-star senior guards Janae Turner (18.1 points, 6.8 rebounds) and Danaya Murray (10.6 points, 6.5 rebounds) and Sixth Player of the Year Jordan Rogers-McAdams (10.5 points, 5.4 rebounds). They completed their regular-season title run before losing to Embry-Riddle (Ariz.), 81-58, in the Cal Pac Tournament final. They shoot just 38% from the field, but their opponents' mark of 34% is the ninth-lowest in the NAIA and they rank 11th on the national leaderboard in free-throw attempts per game (22.8).
Tournament History: UAV and SOU were also at the same opening location last season, when the Pioneers lost in the first round to host and No. 2-seeded Westmont (Calif.), 84-62. They qualified this season for the fifth time in team history, and advanced in 2019 to the Division II quarterfinals with back-to-back upset victories.