Grand Valley State and Cal State Dominguez Hills are all that remain in the 2024-25 DII women's basketball season. One team is looking to add more hardware to its trophy case while the other is in never-before territory, looking for its first national championship.
The Lakers and the Toros have been top 5 teams for essentially the whole season. The Lakers are hoping to end a nearly 20-year drought and take home their second championship in program history, last winning it all in 2006, when the tournament was in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The Toros are in their first championship game ever, so it is already a season of historic proportions. A championship would be the proverbial icing on the cake.
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The DII women's basketball championship: How to watch
The final game of the 2024-25 DII women's basketball season tips off Friday night, March 28 at 7 p.m. ET from UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh. You can or follow the scoring right here on sifoeeprocess.com.
Grand Valley State vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills: By the Numbers
| Stat (per game unless noted) | GVSU | CSUDH |
|---|---|---|
| Season record | 37-2 | 36-1 |
| Points | 83.3 | 78.2 |
| Points allowed | 52.5 | 55.5 |
| Rebounds | 41.1 | 41.7 |
| Assists | 18.7 | 17.9 |
| Steals | 13.9 | 15.9 |
| FG percentage | 46.8% | 43.1% |
| Opponents FG percentage | 35.9% | 36.7% |
Lakers vs. Toros: What to know
This felt like the Lakers season from the start. They came out and won their first 11 games, with signature wins over nationally ranked Union (TN), Ashland and MSU Billings. Once in the DII Women's Elite Eight, the Lakers turned it on, decimating a red-hot Gannon team that had won its first three tournament games by double figures and surging in the fourth quarter to keep its lead and coast past Pittsburg State in the semifinals.
The difference for Grand Valley State this year is the offense. For the past four seasons, including this year, the Lakers have boasted a top-five scoring defense. An opponent's goal against the Lakers was pretty clear: Figure out a way to score more than 50 points and you have a chance. This year was different. Along with one of the stingiest defenses in the land, the Lakers have the third-best scoring offense in DII. The fun part? The offense is sparked by leading scorers — and sisters — Rylie and MacKenzie Bisballe. For Rylie, who leads the team with 13.8 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, it is the cap of a great career for the redshirt senior. MacKenzie is a mere freshman, and this would be quite the passing of the torch for future Lakers' teams.
Now, while this is the Toros' first trip to the national championship game, they did break through to the big stage of the DII Women's Elite Eight for the first time just two years ago. There, they lost a tightly contested battle in the quarterfinals, so this time around, every win and minute of action is of record-setting meaning.
Cal State Dominguez Hills plays fast and is aggressive, with the fourth-most steals in DII. The Toros are best when they come out and set their tempo right from opening tip as we saw in the semifinal win over Union (TN) when they won every single quarter of play. While the Lakers have better numbers on paper, let's not forget that the Toros have a top-10 scoring offense and the No. 20 scoring defense. This team has talent aplenty.
Speaking of talent, the Toros are deep, but Nala Williams is the player to watch. Named the WBCA national player of the year a week ago, she led the Toros in scoring with 17.3 points per game, while adding 5.2 rebounds and a team-high 159 assists and 150 steals. Her points and steals were tops in the CCAA and her assists were second in the conference.
Grand Valley State vs. Cal State Dominguez Hills: Who is the next national champion?
The Lakers feel like a team of destiny, but the Toros certainly have fate on their side. The last four DII women's basketball championship games have been lopsided wins, each one coming by at least 10 points. I don't think that will be the case at all this year.
Neither of these two teams are surprises and both took the course that seemed to be in their cards from day one. Both teams can score and defend, so while one team may get on a heater and run with it, the other is sure to bounce back and even score. This one should go back and forth, and hopefully turn into an exciting thriller like the 2019 double-overtime classic between Lubbock Christian and Southwestern Oklahoma State.
The key for Grand Valley State is to not simply shut down Williams, but don't forget about the depth on the Toros' roster. Both Teagan Thurman and Cristina Jones have played two of their best games of the entire season in the DII Women's Elite Eight. The Toros simply have to push their aggressive style and prevent the Lakers from getting comfortable. With their scoring depth and defensive prowess, that is much easier said than done.
The Toros are looking to be the first California team to win since Cal Poly Pomona went back-to-back in 2001-02. The Lakers, well, one could argue that the Lakers would have more titles if they didn't play in the Midwest Region. Regarded as the premier region in DII, the Midwest regional is a championship in itself, having to get past national title-caliber teams like Ashland and Drury on an annual basis. This time, the Lakers did... and they may not take their foot off the pedal.
Prediction: Grand Valley State 72, Cal State Dominguez Hills 66 (overtime)
