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NAIA Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- After securing the program's first bid to the NAIA National Tournament this past weekend the Bellevue University women's basketball team learned their first round opponent on Wednesday evening.
The Bruins (23-9) are the No. 7-seed in the Duer Bracket and will face No. 2-seed Taylor University in the first round of the tournament. That game will be played on Thursday at 8:30 a.m. It will be the first meeting between the two programs.
Taylor enters the tournament with a 28-4 overall record after the Trojans shared the regular-season Crossroads League Title with Marian (Ind.) whom they dispatched 86-61 to take home the Tournament Title on Monday evening.
Bellevue was one of 32 teams announced as qualifiers by the NAIA National Office. The 2019 Tournament will take place at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, S.D. beginning on Wednesday, Mar. 6 and culminating with the National Championship Game on Tuesday, Mar. 12 at 7:05 p.m. on ESPN 3.
The NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship gets underway on Wednesday, Mar. 6 at 8:30 a.m. when No. 4-seed Sterling (Kan.) and No. 5-seed Cardinal Stritch (Wis.) square off in Naismith Bracket action.
BU is riding a season-best six-game win streak entering the tournament.
The Trojans are making their eighth appearance all-time in the National Tournament. The Trojans are 4-7 all-time in National Tournament games.
Last season, Taylor won their opening round game by defeating Northwest Christian (Ore.) 61-54 and reached the Round of 16 where they fell to eventual National Runner-Up Concordia (Neb.).
The Bellevue-Taylor winner meets the winner of the 3-v-6 game between Tabor (Kan.) and Corban (Ore.) on Friday, Mar. 8 at 5:15 p.m.
Bellevue has four players averaging in double figures on the season led by first team all-NSAA honoree Elexis Martinez (13.8 PPG, 6.8 RPG). NSAA Newcomer of the Year and second team all-conference pick Faith Ross (11.0 PPG, 79 3-FG), honorable mention all-NSAA selection Morgan Cuffe (10.9 PPG, 4.2 RPG), and Jamie Winkler (10.2 PPG, 110 Assists) join her.
The Bruins have been a stout defensive unit, yielding just 58.5 points per game over their previous 16 contests and only once allowing a team to eclipse the 70-point plateau this calendar year (16 games). BU ranks among the top 20 nationally in steals 14th, 342), steals per game (10.69), blocked shots (13th, 119), and blocked shots per game (3.72). Their 62.8 points per game allowed for the season ranks 35th nationally.
Bellevue has thrived in close games this season with a perfect 4-0 mark in one-possession contests.
The team learned its fate as it celebrated with a watch party at DJ's Dugout in Bellevue, just a short drive from campus.
The Bruins are in the midst of their best season in the program's brief three-year history. Following a 20-9 regular season in which BU shared the NSAA Regular Season crown with an 11-3 conference mark; Bellevue won their NSAA first round game and battled through the NSAA Tournament in Watertown, S.D. earning a pair of hard-fought victories over Valley City State (57-54) and Mayville State (63-59).
