Dayton, TN – In a grueling defensive showdown, UPIKE women's basketball defeated Indiana Tech 51-44 to advance to the final game of the NAIA Championships Opening Round. The Bears move one game closer to punching a ticket to the Round of 16 in Sioux City, Iowa.

The win pins the Bears against opening round winner Bryan College, the No. 4 seed in the Duer Quadrant. The Lions defeated Webber earlier in the day to advance to the opening round final which is slated for 4:00 PM tomorrow at Summers Gymnasium.

51 points is the second lowest the Bears have scored in a game all-season, a testament to the nature of the contest in which every bucket was earned. UPIKE's defense was stellar, holding the Warriors, who average 74.7 points per game, to just 44 points on 17 of 46 from the floor.

Major keys in the game were free throws and rebounding, and the Bears claimed both, outrebounding the Warriors 40 to 32 and scoring 17 points at the charity stripe. Indiana Tech shot just 9-17 from the line, creating a big advantage for the Bears in the second half.

Morgan Stamper has now eclipsed an incredible 21 double-doubles on the season following her 14-point, 13-rebound showing against the Warriors. The Independence, Ky. native wrangled in eight offensive rebounds, wreaking havoc of the interior and creating opportunities for the Bears, shown by their 12 second chance points.

Per usual, Mary Englert offered a rock-solid performance that saw her finish with 13 points and seven rebounds. Englert dropped in a perfect 3-3 from the free throw line, and went 5-13 from the floor. 10 of Englerts points came in the first half where she helped the Bears build a foundational lead that got to as high as nine points heading into the break.

Sierra Feltner also finished with double digits in a 10 point outing where she also added an assist and three boards.

The win puts the Bears in the round of 32 for the first time since a matchup with Carroll (Mont.) in 2019. The game also marks the first win in a National Championship bracket since the historic 2016 campaign in which the Bears made it to the final four.

Bryan College comes into tomorrow's contest at 31-1 on the season, their lone loss coming in the semifinal round of the Appalachian Athletic Conference Championship. The Lions have the advantage of a home venue, serving as the host for the Duer Quadrant and took care of business with an 81-65 defeat of Webber earlier today. The two teams have met just once in program history, with UPIKE taking the 109-61 victory at home.

The matchup will begin at 4:00 PM (EST) on Saturday, March 12^th in Summers Gymnasium on the campus of Bryan College. Live video can be found here and live stats here.