OSHKOSH, Wis.- UW-Oshkosh is set to make its second straight and fourth overall Final Four appearance in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship on Thursday (March 19) at the Cregger Center in Salem, Va.
 
Oshkosh (28-3) will face Denison University (Ohio) (28-2) at 4 p.m. (CDT). The Titans and Denison, making its Final Four debut, will be meeting for the first time.
 
Thursday's other national semifinal, scheduled for a 6:30 p.m. (CDT) tip, features two-time defending Division III champion New York University (29-0) and University of Scranton (Pa.) (31-0) in a battle of unbeatens.
 
The national championship game will be contested at 3 p.m. (CDT) on Saturday (March 21).

Oshkosh enters the semifinals ranked fourth in the country by D3hoops.com, eighth by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association and second in the NCAA Power Index, which determines selections and seeding across the division.
 
Denison is eighth in the D3hoops.com poll, 12th in the WBCA rankings and sixth in the NPI.

NYU is the top-ranked team in all three national metrics, while Scranton is second in both the D3hoops.com and WBCA polls, and fourth in the NPI.
 
Oshkosh is back in the Final Four for the fourth time. The Titans, who suffered a 49-47 setback against Smith College (Mass.) during last year's semifinals in Salem, were the 1996 national champions and the 1995 runners-up. Oshkosh boasts a 45-18 record in 21 overall NCAA trips.
 
Denison sports a 6-7 NCAA postseason record in eight appearances.
 
NYU enters the Final Four on a 91-game winning streak, which is the longest in Division III history and second in the NCAA to Division I University of Connecticut's 111 wins in a row from 2014-17. The Violets won the past two Division III titles – both over Smith – by scores of 51-41 in 2024 and 77-59 a year ago in Salem. NYU, which also claimed the 1997 national championship, is 53-24 overall in 25 NCAA tournament appearances. The Violets, whose three Division titles are tied for second most, are back in the Final Four for the sixth time.
 
Scranton is Division III's winningest NCAA postseason program. The Lady Royals clinched the 1985 national championship and have since made Final Four trips in 1987, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005, 2006 and 2019. Scranton's 10th Final Four appearance ties Washington University in St. Louis' division record while its 79 wins (79-40) and 38 NCAA trips top Division III.
 
Oshkosh has never faced Scranton. The Titans won their only previous meeting with NYU, 62-37, during the semifinal round of the 1996 Division III Championship en route to the national title in Kolf Sports Center.
 
Thursday's first semifinal contest is a matchup of contrasting styles as Oshkosh features a defense that ranks second nationally by holding teams to 45.9 points per game while Denison is 11th in the country by scoring an average of 75.7. The Titans have limited 22 of their 31 opponents to fewer than 50 points – and none over 65 – on the year. The Big Red, who apply full-court pressure on most defensive possessions, have topped 65 points on 21 occasions this season.
 
The Thursday Final Four nightcap will be a battle of competing styles as both NYU and Scranton have remained unbeaten in convincing fashion this season. NYU leads the country at 88.2 points per game and ranks second with an average winning margin of 36.3 points per contest. Scranton paces the nation by outscoring opponents by an average of 38.4 points per game, ranking second behind NYU at 81.0 points a game on offense while also possessing the division's best scoring defense at 42.6 points per contest.
 
Oshkosh, NYU and Scranton each reached the Final Four with four straight home wins.
 
Oshkosh is punched its return ticket to the Final Four with a 73-56 victory over No. 17/20 University of Chicago (Ill.) on Saturday (March 14).
 
Denison, which won its home regional, clinched the program's first sectional title in Viginia by downing conference rival John Carroll University (Ohio) before handing sectional host and No. 3/3 Washington and Lee University (31-1) its first loss, 77-64, in the Elite Eight.
 
NYU is back to defend its title after routing No. 19/RV UW-La Crosse, 72-47, in the sectional final.
 
Scranton booked its 10th Final Four trip and first since 2019 with a 67-42 national quarterfinal victory against No. 20/25 Concordia College (Minn.).
 
UW-Oshkosh Titans 28-3
 
UW-Oshkosh, the WIAC outright regular season champion for the third consecutive season, reached the Final Four via home wins of 53-37 over Webster University (Mo.) during the first round, 65-56 against Wisconsin Lutheran College in the second round, 64-43 over No. 15/17 WashU during the third round and 73-56 against University of Chicago (Ill.) in the sectional final.
 
The Titans rank second in the country by committing just 9.6 turnovers per game and ninth with a 1.20 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Oshkosh, despite three losses at the time of selections, entered the Division III Championship as the No. 2 overall seed by virtue of earning 15 countable wins against the top 65 NPI teams. NYU secured nine top-65 victories while Scranton had eight and Denison seven. The Titans were also unable to count another two top-65 wins due to the 15-win cap.
 
The Titans earned the first of 21 at-large berths into the Division III Championship field of 64 after falling, 52-49, at home to UW-La Crosse during the WIAC Tournament final. Oshkosh and La Crosse were among four WIAC programs to clinch NCAA postseason bids as UW-Platteville and UW-Whitewater also garnered at-large bids.
 
Oshkosh had four All-WIAC selections, including Player of the Year Paige Seckar (Oshkosh/Oshkosh West) and fellow First Teamers in junior guard Sammie Beyer and senior forward Sarah Hardwick (Green Bay/Notre Dame Academy). Titans senior guard Avery Poole (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove) was tabbed All-WIAC Honorable Mention. Both Hardwick and Poole were named to the five-member WIAC All-Defensive Team for an Oshkosh squad that has held four NCAA opponents to an average of 48 points per game.
 
Seckar, a sophomore forward, leads the team with 13.4 points, 7.2 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per contest. The first true sophomore in WIAC history to be voted Player of the Year, Seckar registered her conference-best eighth double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds during the Titans' win over UChicago during the sectional final. She also leads the conference in free throw attempts (138) and blocks (42).
 
Beyer is averaging 12.1 points, 3.1 rebounds and a team-high 3.1 assists per game. Beyer, who has drained a team-best 54 3-pointers, ranks 10th in the country with a 2.29 assist-to-turnover ratio. She scored a team-leading 22 points in the sectional final victory against UChicago.
 
Hardwick averages 7.5 points, 6.8 rebounds, 1.2 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. The Oshkosh all-time leader with 120 career starts, Hardwick played a major role in holding WashU's 2026 D3hoops.com Preseason First Team All-American Lexy Harris to just 12 points – six below her season average – during the sectional semifinals.
 
Poole is averaging 6.5 points, 2.2 rebounds and 1.5 assists on the year while ranking second on the squad with 37 made 3-pointers.
 
Rounding out the starting lineup is senior forward Olivia Argall (Dodgeville/Dodgeville), who adds 4.5 points and 2.1 rebounds per game.
 
Bridget Froehlke (Wrightstown/Wrightstown), Mallory Hoitink (Hartford/Slinger), Kate Huml (Janesville/Janesville Craig), Abbey Inda (Cottage Grove/Monona Grove) and Mahra Wieman (Sparta/Reedsburg Area) headline the Oshkosh reserves.
 
Froehlke, who contributed eight points during the sectional final, averages 3.2 points per game. Huml (5.4), Hoitink (3.9), Wieman (2.6) and Inda (2.2) all average better than two points per contest. Huml, who scored a team-high 16 points in 21 minutes during the team's sectional semifinal victory over WashU, is tied with Hardwick atop the program leaderboard with 122 games played.
 
Denison Big Red 28-2
 
Denison won the North Coast Athletic Conference regular season championship for the first time since 2016, finishing two games clear of runners-up John Carroll and Ohio Wesleyan University. The Big Red received the third of 21 at-large berths into the NCAA field after suffering a 75-59 home loss to eventual NCAC postseason champion DePauw University (Ind.) during the league semifinals.
 
The Big Reds' first ever Final Four run began with home regional victories of 82-47 over Southern Virginia University and 63-54 against No. 24/24 Trine University (Ind.). Denison then downed NCAC rival John Carroll for the third time on the year in an 86-67 decision during the sectional semifinal in Virginia before upsetting host Washington and Lee on its home floor the following day.
 
Three Big Red were named All-NCAC as junior guards Abby Cooch and Ada Taute were voted to the First Team, and sophomore center Anelly Mad-toingue was tabbed Second Team. Denison freshman guard Molly Dorighi was the NCAC Newcomer of the Year.
 
Taute, who shot a combined 19-for-32 (59.4 percent) from the field on the way to scoring 24 points during both of Denison's sectional contests, leads the team at 14.0 points and 2.2 steals per game to go along with an average of 6.7 rebounds.
 
Cooch follows at 13.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, a team-leading 3.8 assists and 1.5 steals per game. She has made a team-best 50 3-pointers on the year, going 7-for-12 (58.3 percent) from beyond the arc in the squad's second-round win over Trine.
 
Mad-toingue averages 7.5 points, 10.2 rebounds, 1.1 steals and 2.9 blocks per game. The 6-foot-3-inch post player, whose 86 blocks rank fourth in the country, has produced 47 rebounds and 20 blocks in four games during the NCAA postseason.
 
Dorighi, who poured in 31 total points during a pair of sectional victories, chips in 6.4 points, 3.7 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.9 steals per game. She went 14-for-16 (87.5 percent) at the free throw line during Denison's upset win at Washington and Lee.
 
Nine Big Red are averaging more than 10 minutes per game, including junior guards Violet Mitchell and Adelyn Moore, and senior guard Brooke Toigo. Moore is third on the team at 8.0 points per contest while Mitchell scores 7.5 per game and Toigo 6.8. Toigo shoots nearly 40 percent (41-104) from 3-point range.
 
NYU Violets 29-0
 
The Violet juggernaut has been rolling along since their last loss – 79-63 at Transylvania University (Ky.) – more than three years ago during the Elite Eight on March 11, 2023. Since then NYU has rattled off 91 consecutive victories, including 86 by double-digit margins.
 
NYU won the University Athletic Conference regular season title by four games over runner-up WashU to secure the UAA's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. The UAA is the only women's basketball conference to not conduct a postseason championship, awarding its automatic qualifier to the regular season champion.
 
NYU's continued dominance of the division includes this year's squad that ranks first nationally in scoring (88.2), assists (20.5) and made 3-pointers (10.9) per game; second in 3-point percentage (.363), and scoring (36.3) and turnover (12.24) margins; third in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.47) and bench points (36.0); fifth in field goal percentage (.454) and steals per contest (16.8); and ninth in turnovers forced (26.21).
 
The Violets have withstood a pair of near defeats on the year, eking out narrow home wins of 58-57 against Carnegie Mellon University (Pa.) on February 1 and 57-52 versus UChicago on February 22.
 
Five Violets earned All-UAA accolades as senior guard Caroline Peper was named Player of the Year while junior guard Brooke Batchelor was named First Team, junior forward Yasmine Clark and sophomore guard Zahra Alexander were voted to the Second Team, and freshman guard Alla Kaibara was tabbed Honorable Mention.
 
Peper, who ranks second in the country with 108 made 3-pointers, averages a team-high 18.5 points, 3.5 assists and 2.7 steals to go along with 2.9 rebounds. Peper went 14-for-33 (42.4 percent) from 3-point range during the first four games of the NCAA postseason and needs one more make from beyond the arc to tie for the division lead.
 
Four Violets average better than 10 points per game, including Batchelor at 13.5 per contest, Alexander at 12.3 and Kaibara at 10.1.
 
Batchelor, who shot 8-for-11 from the field, including 6-for-7 from 3-point range, in the sectional final win over La Crosse, averages 6.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists and a team-high 2.8 steals per contest.
 
Alexander tallied 35 total points on 13-for-18 (72.2 percent) shooting from the floor during their two sectional wins. She's shooting 54.4 percent (143-263) from the field and 48.8 percent (20-41) from beyond the 3-point arc on the year.
 
Clark averages 7.6 points, a team-high 10.4 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.8 steals this season. She went 7-for-8 from the floor and scored 15 points with nine rebounds against Hardin-Simmons University (Texas) during the sectional semifinals.
 
Kaibara, who has contributed 27 points during the Violets' four NCAA postseason wins, has scored in double figures 13 times on the year, including a career-best 23 points at WashU on January 23.
 
Other key contributors for the Violets include freshman guard Olivia Lagao, sophomore forward Caitlin Kenney and junior guard Eden Williamson.
 
Williamson has started all 29 contests this season, averaging 3.1 points while shooting 32-for-67 (47.8 percent) from 3-point range and ranking third on the team with 55 steals. Lagao and Kenney chip in 8.6 and 4.0 points per game, respectively.
 
Scranton Lady Royals 31-0
 
For all of Scranton's historical successes, this season may be the best Lady Royals squad ever.  Unbeaten Scranton defeated Division I's University of Pittsburgh, 69-63, during an exhibition on November 16, and the closest margin of victory for the team all season against a Division-III foe was a 17-point, 76-59, decision over No. 12 /9 Bates College (Maine) during the sectional semifinals.
 
The Lady Royals not only pace the division in scoring defense, scoring margin, turnovers per game (9.6) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.09), Scranton also ranks second nationally in scoring, field goal percentage (.462) and assists per contest (20.1); third in turnover margin (11.81); fifth in 3-point percentage (.349), rebounding margin (12.5) and bench points per game (33.6); and seventh in field goal percentage defense (.321).
 
Due to the team's resounding success, no one is averaging more than 24 minutes played per game.
 
Five Lady Royals received All-Landmark Conference honors, including senior guard Kaci Kranson, the Landmark Player of the Year, and fellow league First Team selection Kaeli Romanowski, also a senior guard.
 
Scranton junior forwards Elizabeth Bennett and Katie Gorski were tabbed All-Landmark Second Team alongside junior guard Meghan Lamanna. Lady Royals freshman guard Sophia Talutto was named Landmark Conference Rookie of the Year.
 
Kranson, who lists ninth in the country with 569 points, paces four Scranton double-digit scorers at 18.4 points per game, while Bennett averages 12.1, Gorski 11.5 and Lamanna 10.3. Talutto and Romanowski, the Landmark Defensive Player of the Year, chip in 7.8 and 5.2 points per game, respectively, for a squad that typically goes just eight players deep.
 
Senior guard Jenna Sloan rounds out the usual Scranton starting lineup, averaging 1.8 points, 2.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. Sloan leads the nation with a 10.67 assist-to-turnover ratio after committing a mere nine turnovers across 563 minutes on the year.
 
Other Scranton team leaders include Gorski with 5.7 rebounds per contest and a .532 (142-267) field goal percentage, Lamanna with 62 made 3-pointers on 148 attempts (.419), Kranson with a .438 (49-112) 3-point percentage, Bennett with an .848 (56-66) free throw percentage and 35 blocks, and Romanowski with 125 assists and 119 steals.

Lamanna's 3-point percentage is ninth best in the nation. Romanowski ranks third in Division III with a 3.91 assist-to-turnover ratio and fifth in steals.
 
The Cregger Center and Salem, Va., are hosting the Division III Women's Basketball Championship for the second straight year and third time overall (2019).