Story by Jake Knabel, NAIA Assistant Media Coordinator

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) In a wire-to-wire second-round matchup, Maya Ah You and third-seeded Eastern Oregon made the plays in crunch time to fend off second-seeded Dakota Wesleyan, 83-75, on Friday afternoon. The Mountaineers were nails from the free throw line in the final minutes while claiming the program’s sixth all-time win at the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships.

Head coach Anji Weisenfluh’s squad has advanced to the national quarterfinals, where it will play the top seed in the Naismith Bracket, St. Francis (Ill.) (33-1) at 3 p.m. on Saturday. Meanwhile, head coach Jason Christensen’s Tigers bow out of the bracket with an overall record of 27-7. 

Ah You, who entered the tournament leading the team with an average of 13.1 points per game, was a playmaking machine down the stretch. Her fourth quarter included a four-point play and a total of nine points. She finished with a game high-tying 22 points on 9-for-14 shooting from the field.

The game turned late in the third quarter when Donniesha Webber ignited a 9-0 run with a trey. Eastern Oregon never coughed up the lead the rest of the way, though Dakota Wesleyan kept on coming. Ashley Bray brought her team back within four (71-67) with a trey with 2:21 remaining in the game. But the Tigers had no room for empty possessions while watching the Mountaineers drain 12-of-14 free throws over the closing two minutes. 

Eastern Oregon’s work at the charity stripe (27-for-30) helped it overcome 41.0 percent (25-for-61) shooting from the floor. Four other Mountaineers backed Ah You with double figure scoring totals: Payton Parrish (14), Stormee Van Belle (14 points, eight rebounds) and Webber (11). Eastern Oregon now rides a 14-game win streak into the quarterfinals. 

Runner up in the GPAC tournament, the Tigers fall short of reaching the quarterfinals as they did in 2016. Ashley Bray recorded 22 points, sister Amber Bray had 14, Rylie Osthus added 13 and Kristin Sabers put up 11. Dakota Wesleyan is 10-4 in four all-time appearances at the national championships.