George Fox wins Division III title

George Fox won its first NCAA Division III women’s championship Saturday, beating Washington, Mo., 60-53 in Holland, Mich., behind Kristen Shielee’s 17 points to finish the season at 32-0.

Elise Kuenzi added 14 points and Sage Indendi 13 for George Fox, the sixth unbeaten Division III national champion. The Bruins, of Newberg, Ore., and the Northwest Conference, hadn’t advanced past the round of 16 before this season.

Zoe Unruh and Janice Evans scored 11 points apiece for Washington (26-5). The Bears, of St. Louis, were denied their fifth national title and first since a four-year reign in Division III ended in 2001.

The title game was played before a crowd of 1,830 at DeVos Fieldhouse at Hope College.

NJCAA women

Something had to give in the National Junior College Athletic Association championship game in Salina, Kan.

Tenaya Watson tossed in a game-high 30 points and Precious Robinson chipped in 19 points and 13 rebounds to power the Central Arizona Vaqueras to a 78-71 win over the Jefferson Vikings in a battle between a pair of unbeaten teams.

Central Arizona finished with a 35-0 record, while Jefferson settled for a 33-1 mark.

Danielle Adams paced the Vikings with a 25-point, 12-rebound double-double. ShaQuanda Wiggins added 17 points and nine rebounds.

Division III men

Tyler Nading had 20 points and eight rebounds as Washington University won its second consecutive NCAA Division III national championship, beating Richard Stockton 61-52 in Salem, Va.

Sean Wallis added 16 points and 10 assists for the Bears (29-2), who needed 27 years to get coach Mark Edwards his first national title and only one year to get him another one.

Santini Lancioni scored 19 points to lead the Ospreys (30-3), which had their 18-game winning streak snapped.

Lancioni, the New Jersey Athletic Conference player of the year, missed his first six shots before finding his stroke.

The Bears led 29-16 at the half and won the battle of the boards 41-29.