by Scott DCamp
Sports Editor
Northland Community & Technical College defeated Fulton-Montgomery 86-60 in the third place game at the 2026 NJCAA Division III Women’s Basketball National Championship.
The Pioneers and Raiders exchanged the lead four times in the first quarter with the Raiders holding a 14-13 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The game remained close early in the second quarter, including a 22-22 tie with just over six minutes remaining in the half. The Pioneers got hot from there, outscoring the Raiders 19-9 over the final six minutes to take a 41-31 lead into the locker room.
The Pioneers led by as many as 21 in the third and took a 63-44 advantage into the fourth quarter. The Pioneers kept building on their lead in the fourth quarter, leading by as many as 29 before the final 26-point margin.
The third place finish is the third consecutive top-five finish for the Northland women’s basketball team and second third place finish in the last three years. The Pioneers finished the season 25-6.
Tournament notes
Minnesota West defeated Anoka-Ramsey 51-41 to win the championship game. The Blue Jays finished the season with a 15-game winning streak and 26-5 record overall. The runner-up Golden Rams finished the season 24-6.
Minnesota West Head Coach Rosalie Hayenga-Hostikka was named NJCAA Division III Coach of the Year.
Following the tournament, Northland Head Coach Shannon Nelson and the Pioneers were awarded the Rosemarie Battaglia Sportsmanship Award.
Minnesota West’s Katrina Shuts was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Shuts scored 56 points and grabbed 46 rebounds over three games.
Three players eclipsed 80 points during the tournament. Northland freshman Kenzie Dahl led the field with 88 points for the Pioneers, followed by Hailey Monre of Fulton-Montgomery with 87 points, and Da’Cariya Lanier of Owens with 85 points.
Dahl and fellow freshman Josie Peterson were among the 10 players from six schools named to the All-Tournament Team.
Scoring
1 2 3 4 T
Northland 13 28 22 23 86
FMCC 14 17 13 16 60
Northland – Brooklynn Sarauer 7, Faith Lilly 10, Jade Reese 2, Josie Peterson 28, Kenzie Dahl 24, Danika Gustafson 2, Ashlyn Nelson 6, Jerlyn Lunsetter 3, Sierra Westberg 4.
Fulton-Montgomery Community College – Cloey Dopp 8, Hailey Monroe 25, Sha Cooper 1, Shiasia Williams 2, Kieonna Christmas 10, Mattingly Hindes 8, Gabriella Rourke 6.
Northland MIN REB AST STL PF PTS
B. Sarauer 36 8 3 2 3 7
Faith Lilly 21 3 0 1 3 10
Jade Reese 28 7 3 0 4 2
Josie Peterson 30 4 1 5 2 28
Kenzie Dahl 34 11 3 2 1 24
Lola Garrett 4 0 0 0 0 0
D. Gustafson 2 0 0 0 0 2
Ashlyn Nelson 20 1 1 0 2 6
Jerlyn Lunsetter 5 0 0 0 1 3
Sierra Westberg 20 2 3 0 0 4
Totals – 44 14 10 16 86
FMCC MIN REB AST STL PF PTS
Cloey Dopp 38 3 1 1 3 8
Hailey Monroe 31 4 3 0 4 25
Sha Cooper 16 1 1 1 2 1
Shiasia Williams 18 9 1 0 2 2
K. Christmas 28 5 1 4 5 10
Mattingly Hindes 28 3 0 0 2 8
Haley Dutcher 0 0 0 0 0 0
Deonna Brodie 6 1 1 0 1 0
Briana Santiago 2 0 0 0 0 0
Liana Brown 13 2 0 0 2 0
Gabriella Rourke 20 3 2 1 4 6
Totals – 36 10 7 25 60