East Peoria, IL - The Illinois Central College Women's Basketball team (25-7) was awarded an at-large bid to the NJCAA Division-II National Tournament, as was announced on the NJCAA Network on Tuesday afternoon. It marks a historic 32nd all-time bid for the women's basketball program, which has won six National Championships. The Cougars earned the #12 seed and will take on the #5 seeded Union Owls (26-2) from Cranford, New Jersey on Monday, March 17th at 6:00 PM central time on the campus of Missouri Southern State University in Joplin, Missouri at the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center. 

ICC lost in the Region 24 Tournament Semifinal on March 6th, and in years past, their season would have been over. However, starting in the 2023-24 season, the NJCAA expanded the national tournament by adding four at-large bids to strengthen the tournament field and increase participation. The Cougars, who finished the regular season poll in the #9 spot, had a strong schedule that included 12 games (of 32) against ranked opponents, which made them a strong contender for a bid. Wins over #5 Lincoln Land, #7 Lake Land, #12 Palm Beach State, two wins over #24 Parkland, and #25 Des Moines Area helped the Cougars' cause for the at-large invitation to the big dance. 

"We are thrilled to get an at-large bid and extend our season," coach Karrie Redeker said. "We take great pride in playing a tough schedule and are happy it paid off for us in this situation." 

Union will be yet another tough test for the Cougars. The Owls feature two players who put up big numbers in Destiny Bynum Johnson (20 points per game, 7 rebounds per game - transfer from NJCAA D1 Moberly Area), and Hellary De Los Santos (16 points per game, 11 rebounds per game). Point guard Ore Ogunwolere adds 8.9 points and five assists per game for the Owls, who average nearly 95 points per game. 

If ICC wins their first game, they will play on Wednesday, March 19th at 6:00 PM in the Elite Eight. If they lose their first game, they would play on Wednesday, March 19th at 1:00 PM in the 7th Place Quarterfinals. 

The tournament has a total of 20 teams, is double elimination, and, perhaps a testament to the aforementioned strength of schedule, has several teams that ICC played during the regular season - #1 Kirkwood, #3 Lincoln Land, #6 Pima, #7 Lake Land, and #13 Schoolcraft. The Ocelots could loom as a second game rematch for the Cougars if both teams have the same Sweet 16 result.

The remainder of the Cougars' "quad" sees #13 Schoolcraft face off against #20 North Platte in a prelim game, with the winner of that game getting #4 Johnson County. 

All-tournament games will be live-streamed on the NJCAA Network for a paid subscription fee. A day pass is available for $12, and a complete tournament pass is available for $35. Play-by-Play Announcer Alex Staab will be making the trip with the team and will do audio broadcasts of all the ICC games for free through the platform "Mixlr". 

For updates on the teams ventures in Joplin, be sure to check the ICC Athletics website, or follow the Women's Basketball team's social media accounts on Facebook, Instagram, and X (formerly known as Twitter).

FULL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
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NATIONAL TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
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WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE COUGARS
2025 NJCAA Sweet Sixteen
#12 Illinois Central Cougars (25-7)
vs. #5 Union Owls (26-2)
Monday, March 17th - 6:00 PM CST
at Leggett & Platt Athletic Center - Joplin, MO
Watch Live ($) (NJCAA Network)
Listen Live (Free) (Mixlr)
Live Stats (PrestoSports)

FULL NATIONAL TOURNAMENT SEED LIST
#1 Kirkwood (Iowa)
#2 CCBC Essex (Maryland)
#3 Lincoln Land
#4 Johnson County (Kansas)
#5 Union (New Jersey)
#6 Pima (Arizona)
#7 Lake Land
#8 Highland (Kansas)
#9 Mesa (Arizona)
#10 Mid Michigan
#11 North Central Missouri
#12 ILLINOIS CENTRAL
#13 Schoolcraft (Michigan)
#14 Bryant & Stratton (Virginia)
#15 St. Clair County (Michigan)
#16 SUNY Niagara (New York)
#17 Rock Valley (Illinois)
#18 Lake County (Illinois)
#19 Chattahoochee Valley (Alabama)
#20 North Platte (Nebraska)