NEW YORK, N.Y.    –  Grace Knupp scored a game-high 16 points to lead three players in double-figures as the No. 19 University of Wisconsin La Crosse used a strong second quarter to defeat the No. 21 University of Southern Maine Huskies 66-45 in the third round of the 2026 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament hosted by New York University at the John A. Paulson Center.
 
Knupp had 16 points, five rebounds and three steals for the Eagles. Molly Janke added a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds, while Malia Nelson had 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists.
 
Southern Maine sophomore Lucy Wiles (Glenburn, Maine/Hampden Academy) and graduate student Liz Cote (Conway, NH/Kennett) each had 15 points for the Huskies, while senior Jaycie Christopher (Skowhegan, Maine) notched her 12^th double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Dakota Shipley (Bath, Maine/Brunswick) added four points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.
 
 
The Records:
No. 19/ARV Wisconsin La Crosse (21-9)
No. ARV/t21 Southern Maine (27-3)
 
Today's game marked the first meeting between the Huskies and the University of Wisconsin La Crosse Eagles. 
 
The Huskies are competing in the NCAA "Sweet Sixteen" for the first time since the 2007 season, while the Eagles are making their first appearance in the third round of the tourney. 
 
Southern Maine and UWL are both their respective conference champions with the Huskies' claiming the 2026 Little East Conference Regular Season and Tournament Championship.  UWL won the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) Tournament as the number two seed.
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HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Led by 10 first-quarter points from Wiles, the Huskies led Wisconsin La Crosse 15-12. The Huskies scored the first six points of the game on a jumper from Cote, two free throws from Christopher and a layup from Wiles, but the Eagles rallied to tie the game up at 8-8 on a three from Knupp.  Southern Maine scored the next six again, capped by a three from Wiles to lead 14-8, but a free throw from Janke and a three from Kilboten made it a 14-2 game with 19 seconds to play.  Wiles hit one of two free throws after being fouled on the last possession for the 15-12 game.

 

• The Eagles opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run led by four straight points from Malia Nelson to lead 18-15 before Christopher converted a layup for the Huskies at the 7:30 mark to make it a one-point game.  It was the last field goal for Southern Maine for the next 2:30 of action and the Eagles used a 10-0 run to take control 28-17 before Shipley hit a step-back three for a 28-20 game with 4:52 to go. However, Wisconsin-Lacrosse closed out the half on a 9-1 run to lead 37-21 at the half.  Knupp hit the final bucket of the half with a layup as time expired. Wisconsin-La Crosse outscored Southern Maine 25-6 in the frame.

 

• Both teams traded baskets to start the third, and a driving layup from Cote had the Huskies down 43-29 with 3:17 on the clock.  But the Eagles responded with back-to-back threes from Malia and Janke to take a 20-point edge into the fourth, 49-39.

 

• Southern Maine kept pace with the Eagles in the fourth, but could not get closer than 20 points the rest of the way for the 66-45 final.

 
Up Next:
Southern Maine concludes its 2025-2026 season.  Finishing the season as the 2026 Little East Conference Regular Season and Conference Champions, the Huskies' 27 wins are the most for the program since 2013.  Knocking off Johnson & Wales and No. 7 Bowdoin College in the first and second rounds of the NCAA Division III National Championship tourney, the Huskies advanced to the "Sweet Sixteen" round of the tourney for the first time since 2007.