Story by Nikki Sherrill, NAIA Media Coordinator

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Eight teams have advanced to the quarterfinal round of the 2017 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship presented by Mercy Medical and Seaboard Triumph Foods. Those eight programs step onto the court today with hopes of landing one of four spots in the national semifinals on Monday night. The narrowed down field is led by all four No. 1 seeds, with No. 1 overall St. Francis (Ill.) (33-1)also still active.

The quarterfinal matchups will include two contests squaring-off those tops seeds with No. 2 programs, while the remaining half of the games will place No. 3 seeds against the bracket leaders. The Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference, who entered the field with five teams, brings two into the next round – the most of any other conference remaining. The Cascade Collegiate Conference, Crossroads League, The Sun Conference, Independents, Great Plains Athletic Conference and North Star Athletic Association also had a program land a spot in the round of eight.

Defending national champion Marian (Ind.) (32-3) has advanced for the second-straight season. The Knights, who rolled No. 5 IU East (Ind.) (29-5) in the second-round will see a tough match against the only undefeated team remaining in No. 2 Southeastern (Fla.). The Fire have won both national championship games so far by an average margin of over 30 points.

The other three games will be rematches in the history of the programs. Most notable, No. 1 Concordia (Neb.) (33-2) will face No. 3 Jamestown, an opponent it faced in 2015 on the Bulldogs’ way to the national championship game. Concordia won that match 76-59 in the quarterfinals. For No. 1 Saint Xavier (Ill.) (32-2), they hold a 2-1 all-time record against the College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (28-4). The two last met in 2015 when the Cougars earned an 87-80 victory. Finally, St. Francis looks to even the all-time history between Eastern Oregon, as the Mountaineers and Fighting Saints have only met once in history. That contest was back in 2001 when Eastern Oregon took the first-ever meeting 62-51.

Statistic Leaders out of Remaining Teams:

Points per game: Kara Krolicki (Saint Xavier) and Taylor Hammer (Jamestown), 24.0 points
Total Rebounds: Kelsie Cleeton (College of the Ozarks, 13.0
Blocks per game: Sarah Green (Southeastern), 4.5
Assists per game: Mikayla Leyden (Saint Xavier), 10.5
Field Goal Percentage: Sarah Green (Southeastern), 81.0 percent

2017 Quarterfinal Games:

1 p.m.: No. 1 Concordia (Neb.) (33-2) vs. No. 3 Jamestown (N.D.) (27-5)
3 p.m.: No. 1 St. Francis (Ill.) (33-1) vs. No. 3 Eastern Oregon (30-4)
6: p.m.: No. 1 Marian (Ind.) (32-3) vs. No. 2 Southeastern (Fla.) (28-0)
8 p.m.: No. 1 Saint Xavier (Ill.) (32-2) vs. No. 2 College of the Ozarks (Mo.) (28-4)

The NAIA Network – the association’s official video streaming home – will video-stream the first 28 games live leading up to the semifinals and final on ESPN3. The video platform, powered by Stretch Internet, allows users access to live video, statistics, and social interaction on a number of devices, including mobile. Single day passes can be purchased for $9.95, while an all-tournament package is available at $29.95. For more information and to pre-register, click here.