- DMACC is 24-8 and ranked 24th in the NJCAA Division II poll
- UTTC is 13-14 and is not ranked
- The Thunderbirds average just more than 30 three-point shots a game
The DMACC women's basketball team is just one win away from its first-ever appearance in the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division II Women's Basketball Championship.
The Bears can advance to the tournament with a win over United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) March 7 at Bismarck, N.D. DMACC takes a 24-8 record and a No. 24 ranking in the NJCAA Division II poll into the game. UTTC is 13-14 overall and is not ranked.
"They have a really solid (inside player), they have a lot of shooters on the perimeter and they'll put it up at any point," DMACC women's basketball coach Jocelyn Kovarik said of UTTC.
The Thunderbirds are led by 5-foot-10 sophomore Ronessa Sazue who averages 20.6 points and 9.4 rebounds a game. Freshman Sapphire Lablanc is the only other player who averages in double figures and she is at 10.9 points a game.
DMACC has three players averaging in double figures. Freshman Alivia Carr of Bettendorf is at 13.3 ppg, sophomore Whitney Jensen of Remsen is averaging 11 points a game and sophomore Chloe Costello is at 10.1 ppg. Sophomore Breeley Clayburg of Coon Rapids isn't far behind at 9.6 ppg and leads the Bears in rebounding at 7.8 rebounds a game.
While Sazue is a standout inside, UTTC isn't afraid to shoot from outside. The Thunderbirds average 30.7 three-point shots a game with an average of 9.4 of them going through the hoop. They are averaging 72.4 points a game and shooting 38.4 percent from the field.
DMACC averaged 68.2 points a game and shot 36 percent from the field. The Bears attempted an average of 26.3 three-pointers a game, making 26.3 percent of those shots.
Kovarik said UTTC likes to get up and down the court, adding that much of the Thunderbirds' offense is taking three-pointers once they get to the offensive end of the floor.
"They definitely can score," Kovarik said. "Our defense is going to have to get out on the perimeter quick and make sure they don't cut down the middle on that."
Kovarik likened UTTC to North Iowa Area Community College (NIACC), a member of the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC) with DMACC.
"This year NIACC had a really great guard perimeter and got threes off pretty fast," Kovarik said.
Kovarik said that after watching UTTC on film she doesn't plan any significant changes for her team.
"We're doing what we do, attaching the rim, scoring when we can and moving the ball," Kovarik said. "
The DMACC-UTTC winner will advance to the 2026 NJCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship March 16 to 21 at Hickory, N.C.