Tiger women enjoy perfect Saturday at Corn Palace

Dakota Wesleyan University cruises to NAIA tournament win, earns trip to Sioux City

Mar. 15, 2026 at 1:24am

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The Dakota Wesleyan University women's basketball team put on a dominant performance on Saturday, March 14, 2026, cruising to a 76-53 victory over the College of the Ozarks in the NAIA tournament second round at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, South Dakota. The Tigers drew a big crowd of 1,800 fans and celebrated with their families and friends after cutting down the nets, earning a trip to the round of 16 in Sioux City.

Why it matters

The Tigers' win validates their selection as a top-8 seed in the NAIA tournament and establishes them as a legitimate title contender. Playing in front of a raucous home crowd, DWU proved it can handle the pressure of hosting a national tournament event.

The details

DWU junior Shalayne Nagel said the team was able to "just go out and play and be ourselves" in the win. The Tigers jumped out to a 9-2 lead early by repeatedly feeding the ball to star forward Emma Yost, who scored 17 points in the first quarter alone. DWU coach Jason Christensen earned his 350th career win on the Tiger sidelines with the victory.

  • The Tigers won the NAIA opening round bracket in Mitchell on Saturday, March 14, 2026.
  • DWU will play third-seeded Lindsey Wilson in the round of 16 in Sioux City.

The players

Emma Yost

The Tigers' star forward, who scored 17 points in the first quarter to help DWU jump out to an early lead.

Jason Christensen

The DWU head coach, who earned his 350th career win with the Tigers' victory and was the last to cut down the nets at the Corn Palace.

Shalayne Nagel

A junior on the DWU women's basketball team, who said the team was able to "just go out and play and be ourselves" in the win.

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What they’re saying

“It feels great. This was an interesting game because we had a short turnaround, but it was just a game where we could go out and play and be ourselves. The crowd was great, our fans were great, it was just great all around.”

— Shalayne Nagel, DWU Junior

“It was a huge advantage, that's one of the things we looked at doing. And we got them in some foul trouble too with their bigs, so we just kept attacking that. The old saying goes, you stay on that horse until you get bucked off, and we just stayed on that horse today.”

— Jason Christensen, DWU Head Coach

“I think we just had a lot of energy and adrenaline, and we were whipping the ball around making good passes, and yeah, just that energy carries you. Once we got up 10, we said let's push it to 15, push it to 20 and 25.”

— Emma Yost

What’s next

The Tigers will play third-seeded Lindsey Wilson in the round of 16 in Sioux City.

The takeaway

DWU's dominant performance in front of a raucous home crowd at the Corn Palace establishes the Tigers as a legitimate national title contender. Their stifling defense, balanced offense, and size advantage make them a tough out for any opponent as they continue their run in the NAIA tournament.