Yellowjackets win its second national championship

Rochester (MN) claimed the 2023 NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship after defeating Minnesota West, 73-53, at the Rochester Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minnesota. Sophomore forward Olivia Christianson (5'8''-F) led the Yellowjackets with a national championship game for the ages. Christianson led all scorers with 31 points while also collecting 6 rebounds and 8 steals on the game. These efforts earned the sophomore Tournament MVP. Rochester jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter, but could not widen the gap. Minnesota West took the lead on a Hattie Devries layup to make it 14-13. The Lady Jays concluded the quarter with a two-point lead. The second quarter saw Lady Jay forward Olivia Hayenga get her offense going by scoring seven points. Minnesota West was not able to stretch its lead and only carried a 34-32 lead going into the half. The Yellowjackets came to life in the second half and put together one of the most impressive halves in NJCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship game history. Rochester outscored the Lady Jays 41-20 in the second half. Christianson grabbed four steals in the third quarter, and Ravyn Miles scored 10 points in the third. Rochester's title is the second in school history and improves upon their third-place finish in last year's tournament. They defeated Minnesota West in last year's third-place game. The Lady Jays entered the national tournament as the No. 5 seed. En route to the national title game, they defeated Northampton (PA), Monroe-Bronx (NY), and defending champions Owens (OH) all by double digits. This was the third appearance in school history, and second consecutive. Freshman guard Olivia Hayenga and sophomore forward Tia Murray were named to the all-tournament team.
Courtesy of: njcaa.org