Marian Women's Basketball Captures Third NAIA National Championship

SIOUX CITY, Iowa - A program defined by excellence reached another milestone Tuesday night in the Tyson Events Center, as the Marian women's basketball team silenced a home crowd for the two-time defending national champion Dordt Defenders and completed a thrilling championship game, as the Knights won their third NAIA National Championship with a 73-61 victory. Marian's championship win completes the season with a program-best 35-2 overall record. 

Playing in front of its largest and most raucous crowd of the season in the final game of the season, Marian opened the championship game on a breakneck pace, as running the game through their point guard Madisyn Bailey. Bailey was the aggressor from the tip and scored the first points in the national championship, leading the charge on the defensive end to force the Defenders to a 1-6 start from the floor. The defense also forced multiple turnovers in the opening stand, leading to Abbey McNally and Kiley McNally pushing Marian in front 10-2. A three-point play from Bailey gave the Knights momentum going into the media timeout, as she answered a Defenders' basket with a three-point play, giving her team a 13-5 lead.

Dordt would chop back at Marian's lead in the two minutes coming out of the timeout, but Marian had answers, regaining their footing on defense and going through Eva Fisher and Kennedy Coleman. The pair of reserves scored in the final two minutes of the opening quarter to push Marian in front 19-12, as the score would hold going into the second quarter after Coleman blocked the final shot of the quarter from Dordt. 

Madisyn Bailey continued her big night moments into the second quarter, sinking a trifecta in the first two minutes of the half to push Marian in front by double figures. The 22-12 lead would carry until the eight-minute mark as Dordt was able to score its first points of the period, going on a 9-1 run to shrink the lead to two points. Marian never faltered despite the roar from the crowd growing, as Olivia Faust silenced Dordt with a three-pointer, keeping Marian in control with a 26-22 edge.

Dordt would gradually respond, taking its first lead of the game with 1:51 to play in the first half, as Gracie Schoonhoven dropped in a basket to give the Iowa team a 27-26 lead. Marian would quickly counter with an Abbey McNally jumper, but the Defenders again went back to Schoonhoven, with her jumper in the final 90 second putting Dordt back on top. A three-pointer from Oliva Harazin for Dordt would seal their first half lead, as Marian entered the locker room trailing 32-28. 

Trailing at halftime for the first time since the Crossroads League Championship game, Marian had a new obstacle to overcome, but did so methodically, running the offense through Madisyn Bailey. Bailey got the team on the board first in the half with a pair of free throws, and calmly answered a Dordt shot with a three-pointer, bringing Marian back within a point. The scoring went back and forth as Dordt answered Abbey McNally's basket, but with 6:04 remaining, the Knights were finally able to flip a switch. A layup from Bailey pulled Marian within a point, and after the sophomore forced a miss from Macy Sievers, the Knights were off and running, going inside to McNally to take a 39-38 lead.

The Defenders answered the lead change with a three-pointer, but it would be the last time that they pulled in front, as Bailey leveled the game after a Marian timeout at 41 with 4:53 to play. The two charity stripe shots gave the Knights new life, as the defense continued to force missed shots, which led to open looks on offense, as an Olivia Faust three-pointer gave Marian the lead once again. Marian scored five more points to go on a 10-0 after the Faust three, solidifying its hold on the game. Dordt would cut Marian's run with five unanswered points, but the Knights again had the answer, this time in the form of two Kenna Kirby triples. The senior's six points in the final 51 seconds of the third quarter gave Marian breathing room heading into the fourth quarter, as the Knights led 55-46.

The nine-point lead would be threatened by Dordt in the final stanza, but Marian stayed true to its game, not allowing the Defenders to creep within two possessions. The McNally twins played a pivotal role in keeping the momentum in favor of the Knights, getting to the foul line to work the lead back to double figures. A steal and fastbreak layup for Kiley McNally with 4:35 to play in the game jumped Marian's lead to 13 points.

The 13-point, 63-50 edge, would be too much for Dordt to overcome in the final four minutes of the game, as Marian's defensive prowess made shots difficult to come by in the winning moments. Dordt would come as close as seven points, but could not get past the Knights, as Marian anchored down and kept in control. Marian would close the game strong with four made free throws in the final minute, getting a punctuation mark on the team's third-ever NAIA Championship in women's basketball as senior Kenna Kirby completed her career with a three-point play, a poetic finish as the Knights ended the game victorious 73-61. 

The highlights of Marian's championship were seemingly endless, with Madisyn Bailey making play after play for the Knights, scoring a career-high 23 points in the title game, while grabbing five rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Bailey's shining moment came on the defensive end, holding Macy Sievers under her scoring average while forcing eight turnovers against the opposition's point guard's primary defender.

Abbey McNally's career came to an end with a dominant 17-point, 15-rebound double-double, anchoring her 66th career double-double performance as she also had one steal and three blocked shots. Kenna Kirby had a dominant performance with 14 points and five rebounds, and Kiley McNally scored eight points to go with 12 rebounds. Olivia Faust scored seven points off the bench, and Kennedy Coleman and Eva Fisher each ended with two points in the championship win.

Marian's defense held the Dordt attack with a 35 percent shooting night, and kept the defending champs 25 points under its per-game average. Marian won the game on the glass 49-35, and forced 15 Dordt turnovers. 

Marian's national championship is the 10th in school history, joining a recent hot streak of title runs as the championship is the third of the 2025-26 school year. The championship is the third in women's basketball, with the sport now boasting the most team NAIA championships in school history. 

Head coach Suntana Anderson became the 10th female head coach to win an NAIA women's basketball national championship, and became the fourth different female head coach to lead the Knights to an NAIA Red Banner, joining Katie Gearlds, Ashlee Pritchard, and Katie Wise-Butler. Seven of Marian's 10 NAIA Championships were coached by a female head coach.

After the game, Kiley McNally was named Second Team All-Tournament, while Madisyn Bailey was named First Team All-Tournament. Abbey McNally was named the 2026 NAIA National Tournament MVP, joining Lakan Hasser-Smith and Joana Soeiro as previous winners.

Marian's 35-2 record is a program best, setting the highest winning percentage in program history.

The Knights won three championships in the 2025-26 season, sweeping the Crossroads League regular season and tournament titles, and capping off the season on an 18-game winning streak, bringing home the NAIA National Championship.

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