IUN Women’s Basketball Claim A.I.I. Regular Season Title; Will Be No. 1 Seed at Conference Tourney

iu-northwest-logoThe Indiana University Northwest Women's Basketball team has clinched the A.I.I.'s top overall rating and regular season championship and will enter the conference's post-season tournament as the top overall seed on Feb. 28 - Mar.1 in Clinton, Iowa.

The No. 1 seed RedHawks (20-8) will tip-off the 2014 A.I.I. Women's and Men's Basketball Championships on the campus of Ashford University when they face No. 4 seed Johnson and Wales University (12-18) from Denver, CO for a 12 Noon central time tip in the first semifinal matchup.

IU Northwest claimed road victories earlier this season over top-20 nationally ranked teams in Purdue Calumet (#18) and Grace College (#20) as well as wins over perennial national powers Bethel, Marian, Robert Morris and IU South Bend. The RedHawks also picked significant conference wins in the second half over Ashford University and Rochester College. The RedHawks claimed their fourth 20-win season in the past six seasons with Tuesday's win over Andrews University. Over the past six seasons IU Northwest Women's Basketball has averaged 20 wins per season.

IU Northwest is led by senior forward and A.I.I. Player of the Year and NAIA All-American candidate Megan Holland (Otsego, MI) who ranks third in the A.I.I. in scoring 19.0 ppg, second in rebound 8.6 and first field goal percentage .585. Holland has been named A.I.I. Player of the Week four times this season. Portage graduate and RedHawks freshman guard Nicki Monahan is second on the team in scoring at 14.9 points per game and lead the team three pointers made (53), three point field goal percentage (.346).

Monahan ranks third on the team in both assists (2.0 apg) and rebounding (3.4 rpg). IU Northwest junior center Danielle Zandtsra (Crete, IL) is considered as one of the nation's premiere defenders and ranks amongst the national leaders in blocks per game (2.8 bpg). IU Northwest was dominant at home this season posting a 12-1 record at the Savannah Center en route to the best home mark in the program's history.

"Two of our goals to begin the season were to win at least 20 games in the regular season and to enter the A.I.I. Tournament as the No. 1 seeded team, however everyone of our players have been focused on winning the tournament and returning to the National Tournament in Sioux City. All things considered with our student-athletes commitment to their academic success and commitment to success as a team, this is the best group we have ever had here," said IUN head coach Ryan Shelton.

This is the third time since 2009 that IU Northwest has claimed the A.I.I. regular season title. The RedHawks were the A.I.I.'s No.1 rated team in both 2009 and 2011. The RedHawks finished second in the A.I.I. in both 2010 and 2012, winning the tournament in 2010 upsetting Ohio Dominican 70-67 and later losing in the semi-finals in 2012, 62-59 to Cal State San Marcos. In 2011, IU Northwest entered the tournament as the top overall seed and defeated Central Baptist 77-53 in the 2011 for the A.I.I. Championship.

The 2014 A.I.I. Tournament second semifinal game, will feature the host the No. 2 seeded Ashford University Saints (9-20) squaring off with No. 3 Rochester College (12-15) (Rochester Hills, Mich.). The A.I.I. Women's Basketball Championship Game is scheduled for Sat. March at 5:00 p.m. central time. The champion and winner of the A.I.I. Tournament will receive an automatic bid to the NAIA National Tournament in Sioux City, IA beginning March 12. IU Northwest claimed the A.I.I. Championship in both 2010 and 2011 en route to their first two NAIA National Tournament Appearances and is seeking its first trip back to Sioux City since 2011.