NEO Women's Basketball Team Defeats Murray State to Claim NJCAA South Central District/Region II Tournament Championship

Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College (NEO) Women's Basketball Team defeated Murray State, 54-43, to claim the National Junior College Athletic Conference South Central District/Region II Championship on March 14, 2026, at Rougher Arena in Muskogee, Oklahoma. This qualifies them for the NJCAA National Tournament.

The women's tournament will be held March 24-31 at McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana. NEO enters the tournament ranked #19 and will play #14 Chipola College on March 24 at 4:45 p.m. Central time. If Lady Norse win game one, they advance to the second round and take on the number three team, Shelton State, on March 26 at 4:45 p.m. Central time.

"I am so proud of this team," said NEO Women's Basketball Head Coach Jim Rowland. "They fought hard and never gave up, and now we are headed to Louisiana."

The Lady Norse opened the NJCAA South Central District/Region II Tournament with a 14-point, 67-53, victory over the Northern Oklahoma College-Enid Jets in the quarterfinals. The semifinals brought a tough matchup between regionally ranked number 2 NEO and number 3 Redlands. The Lady Norse showed perseverance, coming back from an 8-point halftime deficit to secure a 55-45 win over Redlands, leading them into the championship on Saturday, March 14. The final game brought nerves and excitement as the nationally ranked #25 team, NEO, took on the #24 team, Murray State. This also gave the fans a regional-ranked number-one and number-two matchup. NEO never let up; they maintained the lead throughout the game and came out victorious over Murray, 54-43. The Lady Norse basketball team is now 22-5 for the year.

Eliana Florence-Valentin and Saniyah Morrison were named to the All-Tournament team. Ana Carolina Furtado and Taiona Morris were named to the All-Region team.

A replay of the NJCAA South Central District/Region II Championship game can be found here: https://eoscathletics.com/mountaineertv?B=3828248

Information and brackets for the NJCAA Women's Basketball National Tournament can be found here: https://njcaachampionship.prestosports.com/sports/wbkb/div1/index

National Tournament games will be livestreamed on ESPN+ and the finals will be streamed on ESPNU.