Sixth-Seeded Suns Meet Monroe-Bronx in NJCAA DIII Tournament
NJCAA DIII WOMEN'S BASKETBALL BRACKET
NJCAA DIII WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SELECTION SHOW
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Dallas College Cedar Valley women's basketball team will play Monroe College - Bronx in the opening round of the National Junior College Athletic Association Division III Tournament next Wednesday in Rochester, Minnesota.
The sixth-seeded Suns (17-5) will be making their second national tournament appearance in the program's six-year history. Cedar Valley is coming off a 75-61 win at Joliet Junior College in the NJCAA Division III Central District Championship. No. 11 seed Monroe College – Bronx (16-16) is coming off a 66-64 win over Nassau Community College in the Northeast District title game.
"I think it's a blessing that we got picked in the top six out of the 12 teams," sophomore guard Deja Thomas said. "We're focused, and we're ready."
Cedar Valley's 17 wins this season are a program record. The Suns enter the NJCAA Tournament having matched the school record for consecutive victories (10).
Cedar Valley advanced to the NJCAA Division III Tournament in 2019-20, beating Massosoit Community College, 73-68, in the quarterfinals before falling to Northland Community & Technical College, 50-49, in the semifinals.
Four players are averaging in double figures for the Suns. Sophomore guards Carmela Hayden (14.6 points per game), Mia Thomas (14.1) and Deja Thomas (12.5) and freshman forward Precious Jackson-Sanders (11.4) make up that quartet. Jackson-Sanders (9.3) and sophomore forward Ciana Fudzie (8.3) lead the team in rebounds per game. Sophomore forward Nekayla Williams is third at 6.5 boards per game. Deja Thomas leads the Suns in assists (6.0) and steals (5.4) per game. She ranks second in the country in assists and third in steals. Jackson-Sanders ranks fifth in the nation in field goal percentage (58.1).
"I feel like we have a really good chance of doing something special," Fudzie said. "We have all the components that we need. This is just a really special team. There's really something here."
Monroe – Bronx guard Daysiah Smith is averaging 22.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 4.5 steals per game. Guard Angeleny Cobos is scoring 8.1 points per game. Guard Tymere Moorer is averaging 7.7 points, 5.6 rebounds and 2.5 steals. Guard Tiffany Newsome is averaging 7.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.6 steals. Center Kristina Poitier-Wells is pulling down 6.5 boards, has blocked 29 shots, and is an 85.7 percent free throw shooter.
Under fifth-year head coach Latasha Keith, the Suns went unbeaten in the conference for the third time this season. Cedar Valley won all four Dallas Athletic Conference games. The Suns went unbeaten in Keith's first season in 2019-20 when they won the NJCAA Division III Southeast District title before advancing to the national semifinals. They went undefeated in the league again in 2021-22 before falling in the Southeast District championship.
The national tournament runs through Saturday, March 16.
"We understand it's a business trip," Deja Thomas said. "We have one goal, and that's to come back with a win."