It’s about as close as you can get to a home court advantage in a national tournament. The Northwest Missouri State Bearcats from Maryville are just up the road in St. Joe for their Elite Eight game in the Division II National Tournament against Cal Poly Pomona tonight at 8:30.
CPP has captured five women’s basketball titles in program history, with the most recent ones coming in back-to-back years in 2001 and 2002. This year, with National Player of the Year candidate Reyana Colson leading the way, the Broncos have gone 28-4 after blowing through the first three rounds of the NCAA Tournament and pushing their home winning streak to 13 games.
As the No. 2 seed in their South Central Tournament, the Bearcats captured their first regional title in program history with an 82-70 victory Monday over Central Oklahoma. Northwest’s Gabby Curtis was named the regional’s Most Outstanding Player.
The Bearcats are led by head coach Gene Steinmeyer, who is in his 12th season at the program’s helm. His 541 career wins are 14th most in Division II history and eighth-most among active D-II coaches. This season, Steinmeyer’s squad is led by Curtis, who is averaging 17.9 points per game. In the post for the Bearcats is senior Kyla Roehrig, an imposing 6-foot-4 center.
The tip-off tonight is at 8:30.
