WAVERLY, Iowa – Top-seeded women's basketball is set to open American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) tournament play this week with a semifinal matchup inside Levick Arena on Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7 p.m. against the Luther College Norse.
The Knights have won back-to-back A-R-C tournament titles and are in search of a third-straight championship to punch their ticket to the 2026 Division III NCAA Tournament.
Thursday, Feb. 26 | Waverly, Iowa | Levick Arena
#1 Wartburg (19-6, 15-1 A-R-C) vs #5 Luther (13-13, 8-8 A-R-C) | 7 PM CT |
Live Stream ($) |
Live Stats
All-Time Series vs Luther
- The Knights are 6-2 against Luther in A-R-C Tournament play
- Have won five-straight tournament matchups, including two semifinal wins in the past three seasons
- Wartburg has won 17-straight matchups over the Norse
- This season, Wartburg defeated Luther 64-46 at home and 68-63 on the road
- The Knights lead the all-time series 61-40
- Wartburg is 38-12 at home in the series
- Luther's last win in Waverly over the Knights was during the 2018-19 season
- Thursday will mark the final A-R-C tournament matchup between these programs
A-R-C Tournament History
- Wartburg is seeking a three-peat of A-R-C Tournament titles for the first time since winning four-straight tournament titles from 2017-2020
- The Knights have won eight A-R-C Tournament championships (six since 2017)
- Wartburg is on a four-game winning streak in A-R-C Tournament play
- 31-17 all-time in the A-R-C tournament
- The Knights clinched their fourth-straight regular season title this season
- Head coach Bob Amsberry captured his eighth career regular season championship and is seeking his seventh career A-R-C tournament title
- Six-time A-R-C Coach of the Year
Photo by Roland Ferrie, Wartburg College
Tournament Schedule
Semifinals - Thursday, February 26
No. 5 Luther College at
No. 1 Wartburg College - 7:00 p.m.
No. 3 Buena Vista University at No. 2 Coe College - 7:00 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, February 28
Semifinal #1 Winner vs. Semifinal #2 Winner - 4:00 p.m. (higher seed hosts)
In the Polls
Wartburg
- The Knights enter the week with a 19-6 record overall and a 15-1 record in A-R-C play
- Defeated Simpson 64-55 on the road (2/18) in their last contest
- Clinched outright regular season title to earn No. 1 tournament seed
- Wartburg is allowing an A-R-C best 52 points per game through 25 games played and is averaging 65.6 points per game offensively (fifth in A-R-C)
- 27th ranked scoring defense in all of Division III
- Four Knights are averaging nine or more points per game this season
- Wartburg's three-point percentage of 34.4% ranks 10th in Division III and the team average of 8.5 per game ranks 16th in Division III
- Boulanger (59/122, 48.4%) currently ranks second in Division III in three point percentage (as of 2/25)
- Golinghorst (23/62, 37.1%) ranks sixth individually in three point percentage in the A-R-C and Carly Rich ranks second individually (A-R-C games only) at 45.5% (15/33)
- As a team, Wartburg is shooting: 40.6% FG (4th in A-R-C), 34.4% 3P (2nd in A-R-C) and 71.3% FT (6th in A-R-C)
- Boulanger's 17.6 points per game ranks second in the A-R-C headed into the conference tournament
- Ranks seventh in field goal percentage (49.8%) and first in three point percentage (48.4%) among A-R-C scorers
- Wartburg ranks second in turnover margin at +2.96 through 25 games
- Has forced opponents into an average of 20.2 turnovers per game over its 15-game winning streak
- The Knights lead the A-R-C in blocked shots per game as a team with 4.80 per game
- Hennessy enters the week tied for the conference lead in total blocks (43) and for the lead in blocks per game (1.7)
- Hennessy has recorded 40 blocks and 40 steals this season
- Emma Townsley is tied for seventh individually in steals per game in the A-R-C with 1.8 per contest
- Leads the Knights with 46 total
- The Knights are second overall in the A-R-C in combined opponent rebounds (35 allowed per game) but rank third in both offensive rebounds per game (10.8) and in rebounding margin (+2.7)
- Harrison leads the team in rebounding this season with an average of 6.8 per game (seventh in A-R-C) and leads the team in field goal percentage (54.8%, third in A-R-C)
- Lauren Donlea leads the team with 3.0 assist per game (fifth in A-R-C) and leads the A-R-C in assist/turnover ratio (1.7)
- Wartburg is fourth overall in the conference in assists per game (14.44)
- With a conference best 8.4 made three pointers per game as a team, Wartburg has six shooter with 15 or more made three pointers this season
- Boulanger (58), Hennessy (50), Golinghorst (23), Donlea (18), Rich (18) and Katleyn Aden (17)
Luther
- The Norse enter Thursday's game with an overall record of 13-13 and an A-R-C record of 8-8
- Defeated Simpson 77-72 on the road in round one of the A-R-C Tournament
- 3-4 since last matchup against Wartburg (two of the three wins came against the Storm)
- Luther has the fourth-ranked scoring offense (67.7 points per game) and the seventh-ranked scoring defense (68.8 points per game allowed) among A-R-C teams
- Natalie Beaver and Haylie Strum lead the Norse offense with 16.9 and 15.7 points per game respectively
- Fourth and seventh individually among the A-R-C
- Luther is shooting: 39.4% from the field (fifth in A-R-C), 31% from three (fourth in A-R-C) and 72.8% from the free throw line (fifth in A-R-C)
- Beaver ranks third in the A-R-C in rebounding with an average of 8.2 per game
- 10 double doubles this season
- Luther is tied for the top offensive rebounding team in the conference with an average of 11 per game
- Ranks fourth in rebounding margin (+0.4)
- Strum ranks second in assists in the A-R-C with an average of 4.2 per game
- Also leads the A-R-C in steals per game (2.3) and tied for sixth in blocks (1.2)
- Luther ranks sixth in the conference in both turnover margin (-0.92) and assist/turnover ratio (0.77)
- Luther is 4-8 this season when making six or less three pointers as a team
- The Norse average 7.2 made threes per game (third in A-R-C)
