ST. PAUL, Minn. — The Millsaps women's basketball team's outstanding season ended on Friday with a hard fought battle to No. 13 Bethel University in the first round of the 2026 NCAA Championship, falling late in the second half, 81-73. The Majors played their best against the Royals throughout every minute on the court inside the Robertson Center.  

In their first season coaching together for the Majors, head coach Jeff Wilbur and assistant Ciara Jackson led the Millsaps women's basketball program to an impressive 21-8 overall record and secured the team's fourth appearance in the NCAA Division III tournament in program's history. 

Millsaps (21-8, 9-5 SAA) secured 44 rebounds, including 18 offensive rebounds, to keep pace throughout the contest. 

Bethel (MN) (23-6, 14-4 MIAC) capitalized at the free-throw line, converting 17 of 25 attempts, which ultimately made the difference in the final quarter. The game featured nine ties and 18 lead changes against both opponents.

Junior Tia Anderson led the Majors with 24 points, four 3-pointers, and 13 rebounds while also recording two steals. 

Anderson completed her 2025-26 season with 69 three-pointers made, 484 total points, 234 rebounds, and 48 steals. 

Anderson ended her junior year tied for 25th in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball standings for made three-pointers. 

Classmate Garin Freeman contributed 14 points and recorded 12 assists tonight against the Royals in a double-double performance. 

The 2026 SAA Women's Basketball Tournament MVP completed her junior year ranked third in NCAA Division III Women's Basketball with a total of 183 assists. 

Senior Elyse Warren added 13 points and collected 13 rebounds in a well double-double performance on the night.

The 2025-26 SAA Women's Basketball Defensive Athlete of the Year concluded her collegiate career with the Majors, achieving 55 double-doubles and setting the conference record for the most rebounds with 1,219 total boards.

Warren finished the 2025-26 season second in NCAA Division III Women's Basketball with 466 rebounds.

The Memphis, Tenn., native will now look forward to continuing her Millsaps athletic success as a member of the Millsaps women's flag football team this spring.

When a shot was needed tonight, senior Maddy Maw rose to the occasion against the Royals and made a huge difference. 

Maw scored 12 points and recorded two steals. The Raymond, Miss., product gave everything she had in the final game of her career. 

In the first quarter, Bethel took a 2-0 lead before Warren boasted a layup inside the paint to put the Majors on board. 

Moments later, two layups would move the Royals ahead 6-2 with 7:39 minutes to go. 

Anderson would find the bottom of the net with a three-pointer to cut the contest down to 6-5 with Bethel still ahead.  

Putting pressure on the Royals, Warren scored another layup, giving the Majors their first lead of the game at 7-6. 

With 5:35 minutes left in the first quarter, Bethel scored a three-point shot, tying the game against the Majors at 9-9. 

Anderson stayed on a roll knocking down a three to pull the Majors ahead 20-17 with 1:49 left. 

Following Anderson's successful three-point shot from beyond the arc, Freeman drove toward the hoop, sinking a soft floater to keep the Majors in charge, 22-17. 

As the first quarter came to a close, the Royals managed to fight their way back into the match, making the score even 22-22 following a great competition by both teams. 

In the second quarter, Freeman continued showing off her skills as she found her way around her opponents with layup moves going into transition, keeping the Majors ahead, 26-24, in a tight contested game. 

Bethel, managing to get around the Majors, found a 32-26 lead in the contest by utilizing the three-point line to their advantage. 

Anderson would come from the foul line, sinking both attempts bringing the score down, 32-28, Bethel still ahead.  

Soon afterwards, both Maw and junior Bailey Johnson would hustle hard together on defense by collecting two steals.  

The Royals would start running into foul trouble as sophomore Anaya Lewis managed to bank in a free throw to stay in close competition with Bethel down, 32-29. 

A three-pointer by the Royals would further the host's advantage, 35-31, before Maw would sneak in back-to-back layups, while Johnson found a three-point shot to put the Majors back on top, 38-35. 

Bethel scored their final points with a layup to take the lead, 39-38, heading into halftime. 

In the third quarter, the teams exchanged points as Anderson gave the Majors the lead at 50-48 with a three-point swish after a skillful pass from Freeman. 

With 4:31 to go, the Royals secured a steal and made their way to the basket, leveling the score again at 50-50. 

A spinning move by Freeman would put the Majors back in the lead over the Royals, 56-52. 

Majors' playing well with 2:02 remaining, an Anderson layup would give the Millsaps a six-point lead. 

The Royals took the lead back with two free throws and a layup prior to a three-point shot made two seconds before the buzzer, regained Bethel lead at 59-58 reducing the gap to a single possession. 

In the fourth quarter, Warren put in maximum effort, narrowing the gap by two points with a layup inside the paint. With 6:47 left in the game, the Royals extended their lead to 66-60. 

Maw would quiet the Royals by hitting consecutive three-pointers, bringing the game within two points. 

Shortly after, Bethel extended their lead to five points with a long three-pointer, the Royals made a costly  mistake, allowing Anderson to bank a three-pointer on top of the key as the Majors battled back, trailing 76-73. 

Closing out the fourth quarter, Millsaps found themselves in foul trouble, and the Royals capitalized on free throws to defeat the Majors, 81-73 on Friday.

To keep up to date with everything surrounding the Millsaps College women's basketball program follow the Majors on X and Instagram, like Millsaps Majors Athletics on Facebook and visit gomajors.com.         
         
Founded in Jackson, Mississippi in 1890, Millsaps College is a national liberal arts college dedicated to academic excellence, open inquiry and free expression, the exploration of faith to inform vocation and the innovative shaping of the social, economic and cultural progress of our region. Consistently ranked as one of the best values in higher education, Millsaps has been praised by Colleges That Change Lives, The Princeton Review, Forbes Magazine, U.S. News & World Report, The John Templeton Foundation, and The Fiske Guide to Colleges.