USF Women’s Basketball Punches Ticket to NAIA Round of 16

FORT WAYNE, Ind. - The No. 2 seed University of Saint Francis (Ind.) Cougars punched their ticket to the 2026 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship Round of 16 after a hard-fought Second Round win over No. 7 seed College of Idaho on Saturday, March 14.

The Cougars and the Yotes battled back and forth in the first quarter, with Saint Francis taking a narrow 13-12 advantage into the second. Saint Francis opened the second quarter with a 10-2 run to extend the lead to 23-14 at the 6:26 mark. College of Idaho rallied, cutting SF's lead to 25-20. The Cougars responded with nine points to close the quarter and take a 34-26 lead into halftime.

The Yotes came out of halftime shooting 56.3% from the field while holding the Cougars to just nine points in the third quarter to take a 47-43 lead. The two teams continued to battle in the fourth quarter, with the score tied at 50-50 with 5:34 remaining. Back-to-back three-pointers from Cali Gregory gave Saint Francis a 55-50 advantage, forcing a College of Idaho timeout. The Cougars held off the Yotes down the stretch to secure the 60-54 victory.

Saint Francis shot 44.4% (20-45) from the field and 38.5% (5-13) from three-point range. Renna Schwieterman led the Cougars with 21 points and three assists. Gregory followed with 19 points, five rebounds and two assists. Isabella Gizzi added seven points, five rebounds and two steals, while Taylor Fordyce contributed six points and five boards.

Up next, the Cougars (29-4) will face (RV) Hastings College in the NAIA Round of 16 on Thursday, March 19, hosted at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.