• Sophomore Breeley Clayburg leads DMACC with 14 points and 13 rebounds
• Freshman Mariam Omran comes away with 10 points
• DMACC will be the No. 5 seed in the Region 11-A tournament

Sophomore Breeley Clayburg of Coon Rapids recorded a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds as the DMACC women's basketball team closed the regular season with a 45-41 win over Ellsworth Community College (ECC) February 25 inside the DMACC gymnasium.

Freshman Mariam Omran of Giza, Egypt, added 10 points as the Bears finished with a 22-8 overall record and a 14-8 mark in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), good for fifth place in the league standings.

ECC, which got 14 points from Yaiza Soriano Balaguet, finished at 14-14 and 10-12.

DMACC will be the No. 5 seeded in the Region 11-A tournament that begins Feb. 28 and the Panthers will the eighth seed in the tournament.

ECC got off to the better start, leading DMACC 12-6 at the end of the first quarter and 19-17 at halftime. The Bears outscored ECC 17-9 in the third period to take a 34-28 lead into the fourth quarter.

The two teams were never separated by more than six points in the final 10 minutes. DMACC led 42-36 with just less than two minutes remaining when a 5-0 run got the Panthers within one at 42-41 with 33 seconds left. Sophomore Chloe Costello of Northwood made one of two free throws at the 25-second mark for a 43-41 DMACC lead and freshman Jordan Valley of Waverly made one of two free throws after she was fouled following an ECC turnover, giving DMACC a 44-41 lead.

The Panthers' Sophia Berraquero Beltran then missed from three-point range and Valley was fouled again on DMACC's possession. She converted one of two attempts with four seconds remaining to secure the victory for the Bears and give them a sweep of the season series between the two teams.

Neither team shot particularly well. DMACC made 18 of 63 field goal attempts for 29 percent. The Bears were just two of 18 from beyond the arc and 7-of-10 from the free throw line.

ECC was 13-of-51 from the field for 26 percent. The Panthers made two of 19 shots from three-point range and were 13-of-21 at the free throw line.

Clayburg's 13 rebounds led DMACC to a 38-35 advantage on the boards. Sophomore Reagan Wheeler of Cedar Falls had nine rebounds and sophomore Whitney Jensen of Remsen finished with six. Valley led the Bears in assists with three and Wheeler topped DMACC in steals with three.

The DMACC women's basketball team will face fourth-seeded Iowa Central Community College (ICCC) in the semifinals of the Region 11-A tournament Feb. 28 at Fort Dodge. The Tritons ended the regular season at 22-8 overall and 15-7 in the ICCAC, good for fourth place. The two teams split their regular season matchups. ICCC came away with a 51-44 decision Jan. 17 at Fort Dodge and DMACC was a 68-35 winner Jan. 31 inside the DMACC gymnasium.

The DMACC-ICCC winner will face the winner of the other semifinal game between top-seeded Kirkwood Community College (KCC) and ECC. The championship game will be played March 2 at the home of the highest seeded team still remaining in the tournament.

The Region 11-A champion will advance to either the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Women's Basketball Championship or the North Central District Championship, pending the outcome of the Region 11-B tournament.