Women's Basketball Travels to #2 Saint Francis (Ind.) For NAIA Tournament First Round

KANSAS CITY, Mo - The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) has officially announced the teams and bracket for the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds, presented by Ballogy. The 64-team bracket will begin with the First and Second Rounds at host sites nationwide on March 13-14. The 2026 NAIA Second Round winners will meet in Sioux City, Iowa, at the NAIA Championship final site presented by Bomgaars and Sterling. The 45th annual championship occurs at the Tyson Events Center from March 19-24.

The Brescia University Lady Bearcats have been named the No. 15 seed in the Cramer Quadrant in the 2026 NAIA National Tournament. BU will travel to Fort Wayne, IN to take on the host team, No. 2 University of Saint Francis (Ind.).

The Bearcats will enter the NAIA National Tournament with an overall record of 24-7 and a 13-3 River States Conference record. BU earned the RSC's second automatic bid by reaching the conference title game despite finishing as the runner-up. So far this season in 31 games, the Bearcats average 73.5 points per game with a field goal percentage of 45.7%. Defensively, the Bearcats ranked first in the conference in opposing points per game at just 59.4%

BU tabbed four RSC All-Conference honorees in Cassidy Morris (1^st Team), Caroline Lucas (1^st Team), Brooklyn Stewart (2^nd Team), and Jenna Krampe (3^rd Team).

The Lady Bearcats will travel to Fort Wayne, IN next Wednesday, March 11 to prepare for the matchup on March 13.