by (Lawrenceville, Georgia) – An experienced and resilient Haskell Indian Nations University (Kansas) women’s basketball team proved once again that it’s hard to defeat an opponent three times in a season, coming up with a 66-56 victory over top-seeded Georgia Gwinnett College in a high-spirited championship game of the 2026 Continental Athletic Conference Championship on Sunday in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Haskell Indian Nations (13-16), the No. 2 seed and defending CAC champions, will now represent the league in this year’s NAIA national tournament. Information about further postseason play will be announced by the NAIA national office on Thursday, March 5.
GGC (20-7) had defeated the Fightin’ Indians twice by 17-point margins during the regular season: 61-44 at the CAC Classic on January 10 in Temple Terrace, Florida, and 75-58 on February 14 in Lawrenceville.
However, a highly motivated Haskell Indian Nations team was ready for the challenge this time. The squad outscored the tournament hosts in the final three quarters to overcome a 16-11 first-quarter deficit.
The game was tied at 26-26 at halftime before Haskell Indian Nations took a comfortable 44-38 lead into the fourth quarter. That advantage was built to an eight-point margin, at 46-38, early in the final period.
GGC would close the gap to two points on two occasions later in the quarter, but guard Ona Dauphinais always seemed to have an answer for the Fightin’ Indians, scoring a three-pointer or free throws that proved to be a dagger to the Grizzlies’ comeback hopes. She had 10 points on 3-for-3 shooting while being 5-for-6 from the free throw line over the last 10 minutes. Forward Ivy Fox was also quite effective for the visitors from Kansas, adding nine points while shooting 4-for-4 from the field down the stretch. They combined to have 19 of the team’s 22 fourth-quarter points.
The Grizzlies could get no closer than six points during their valiant comeback attempt, hoping to extend the team’s 13-game winning streak.
Dauphinais was named the CAC Championship’s Most Outstanding Player after having a game-high 28 points in the championship game. Fox added 13 points and was an all-tournament team selection, as was the Fightin’ Indian’s Tierzah Penn, who had nine points and six rebounds in the game.
Peyton Hearvey scored a team-high 14 rebounds while contributing eight rebounds to lead GGC’s offensive attack. Christen Collins and Jamya Griffin each had 12 points – earning all-tournament team honors for their efforts in two games this week.
2026 Continental Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball All-Tournament Team
Most Outstanding Player: Ona Dauphinais, Haskell Indian Nations University
Ivy Fox, Haskell Indian Nations University
Tierzah Penn, Haskell Indian Nations University
