Maya Metcalf became the 10th player in program history to score at least 30 points in a single game when she posted 32 in the Cobbers' win at St. Catherine on 2/11.

Women's Basketball 2/18/2026 2:00:00 PM

MIAC Women's Basketball Notebook - February 18, 2026

BLOOMINGTON, Minn. – With two games left to play, all six spots in the 2026 MIAC Women's Basketball Playoffs are spoken for; what remains unsettled heading into the final week of the regular season is the order of seeds in the tournament.

PLAYOFF PICTURE
Concordia has the inside track to the regular season crown and home-court advantage throughout the playoffs thanks to a league-best 14-2 record. The Cobbers can secure at least a share of their first MIAC title since 2013 with a win over St. Olaf on Wednesday.

At 13-3, Saint Mary's is currently positioned for the second seed in the conference tournament; however, the Cardinals could mathematically finish anywhere from No. 1 to No. 5, depending on how the week unfolds. Matchups between Saint Mary's and Hamline on 2/18 and Saint Mary's and Gustavus on 2/21 will be pivotal to the seeding order.

Bethel and Gustavus both enter the final week of the season with 12-4 records in conference play, while Hamline and St. Scholastica are right behind them at 11-5. Like Saint Mary's, St. Scholastica will end its regular season run with a pair of matchups against fellow playoff teams. The Saints – who have clinched a berth in the MIAC Playoffs for the first time in program history – will host Gustavus on Thursday and Concordia two days later.

Playoff seedings will be announced after all games have been completed on Saturday afternoon. The quarterfinal round will begin on Tuesday, February 24, with semifinals slated for Thursday, February 28, and the playoff championship game on Saturday, February 28. Tickets for Tuesday's quarterfinal round will go on sale Saturday night on MIACathletics.com.

STAT PACK
The latest MIAC women's basketball Stat Pack as of Wednesday, February 18, can be viewed here.

IN THE POLLS
Concordia is ranked No. 21 in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll, released on Monday, February 16. Saint Mary's and Bethel received votes in the latest balloting.

The Cobbers are ranked No. 24, while the Cardinals received votes, in the latest Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25 Poll, released on Tuesday, February 17.

The MIAC has four teams in the top 50 of the latest NCAA Power Index (NPI) rankings. Concordia is No. 14, with Bethel at No. 27, Saint Mary's at No. 33, and Gustavus at No. 45. The NPI is used to select the 21 at-large bids to the NCAA Division III Tournament after the 43 automatic qualifiers have been determined on March 1. Last season's NPI cut line was 45.

NATIONAL NOTABLES
A pair of MIAC forwards were named to the D3hoops.com Team of the Week earlier this month, including St. Scholastica junior forward Kloey Lind (Pine City, Minn. / Pine City) and Concordia sophomore forward Maya Metcalf (West Fargo, N.D. / Sheyenne) on 2/3 and 2/17, respectively.

Saint Benedict sophomore guard Lauren Arnold (Chanhassen, Minn. / Chanhassen) leads NCAA Division III in free-throw percentage with a clip of 94.7 (71-for-75) this season.

St. Catherine junior guard Hattie Fox (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola) ranks No. 4 in NCAA Division III with a free-throw percentage of 90.6 (115-for-127) this season.

AROUND THE MIAC
Augsburg junior guard Sydney Hazuga (Eau Claire, Wis. / Memorial) scored a season-high 22 points in the Auggies' loss to St. Catherine on 2/7. Hazuga knocked down six three-point shots to secure her seventh double-figure game in her last eleven outings.

Bethel senior guard Colette Duininck (Prinsburg, Minn. / Central Minnesota Christian) achieved a point-assist double-double in the Royals' win over Carleton on 11/14. Duinick posted 11 of each and finished three rebounds shy of a triple-double. Her 11 assists in the game were the most by a Royal since 11/23/21.

Carleton sophomore guard Addy Huss (Portland, Ore. / Cleveland) averaged 19.5 points and 9.5 rebounds in a split week to close out the month of January. The Carleton point guard was two rebounds shy of a double-double in the team's loss to Saint Mary's on 1/28. She logged 11 points and eight boards in that contest before pouring in a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds in a 74-72 win over Augsburg on 1/31. The point-rebound double-double was her sixth of the season.

Concordia sophomore Maya Metcalf (West Fargo, N.D. / Sheyenne) averaged 24.5 points and 8.0 rebounds in two Cobber wins last week. Metcalf became the 10th player in program history to score at least 30 points in a single game when she posted 32 in the Cobbers' win at St. Catherine on 2/11. She backed that up by scoring 17 points in just 19 minutes in a win over Macalester on 2/14. Metcalf shot 60.0 percent from the field (18-for-30) and 57.1 percent (4-for-7) from long range on the week.

Gustavus junior forward Ella Peters (River Falls, Wis. / River Falls) scored the most points in any MIAC women's basketball game this season with a 33-point performance in the Gusties' win over St. Scholastica on 1/21. Peters caught fire early, scoring 21 points in the first 13 minutes of the game. She also added 11 rebounds for her fourth double-double of the season. Peters hit double figures again with 14 points in 25 minutes of play in a win at Augsburg on 1/24.

Hamline sophomore guard Josie Schmidt (Belle Plaine, Minn. / Belle Plaine) helped the Pipers secure a spot in the MIAC Playoffs with a win over nationally-ranked Bethel on 2/11 and a postseason-clinching victory over Saint Benedict on 2/14. Schmidt had four steals in a six-point win over the Royals and tallied three steals and a block against the Bennies.

Macalester junior guard Sydnee Smith (Gainesville, Va. / Patriot) came away with 16 points and 14 rebounds in the Scots' road loss to Saint Benedict on 2/11. Eleven of her season-high 14 boards came on the defensive end of the court, while her three offensive rebounds also match a season-best total.

Saint Benedict sophomore guard Lauren Arnold (Chanhassen, Minn. / Chanhassen) reached the 20-point plateau for the second time this season in the team's road loss to Hamline on 2/14. Arnold was 5-for-8 from the field and a perfect 8-for-8 from the free-throw line. Arnold also went 8-for-8 from the line in a 17-point effort against Macalester on 2/11.

St. Catherine junior guard Hattie Fox (Osceola, Wis. / Osceola) closed out the month of January by becoming the tenth Wildcat in program history to join the 1,000-point club. Fox did so with a 20-point performance against St. Olaf on 1/28, marking her fifth 20-point game of the season.

Saint Mary's sophomore guard Brianna Nusbaum (Spring Lake Park, Minn. / Spring Lake Park) helped push the Cardinals to their second consecutive postseason tournament with a pair of conference wins last week. Nusbaum recorded 14 points – including an 8-for-8 performance at the free-throw line – in an 88-43 win over Augsburg on 2/11, before collecting 27 points and a career-high eight steals in a win over St. Scholastica on 2/14.

St. Olaf sophomore forward Elise Hahn (Mackinaw, Ill. / Deer Creek-Mackinaw) grabbed 27 rebounds – ten on the offensive end – and had four blocks and one steal in a split week for the Oles. After posting a double-double with 10 points, 11 rebounds, three blocked shots, and one steal at St. Scholastica on 2/11, Hahn grabbed 16 rebounds – one shy of her career high – to go along with nine points and one block in a 54-48 win over Augsburg on 2/14.

St. Scholastica sophomore guard Ava Haus (St. Michael, Minn. / STMA) logged back-to-back 20-point performances in a pair of road contests for the Saints against Macalester (2/4) and Bethel (2/7). Haus scored 20 points in a 70-49 victory over Macalester before tallying a season-high 25 points in a 77-71 loss to Bethel. Haus was 8-for-11 from the field and 2-for-4 from beyond the arc against the Royals. She has scored at least 20 points in three of her last four games.

Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

MIAC Women's Basketball Notebook - February 18, 2026

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