DE PERE, Wis. – St. Norbert College defeated Wisconsin Lutheran College, 48-42, Saturday on Connie Tilley Court at Mulvia Family Fitness & Sports Center to win the 2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Women's Basketball Tournament, pairing the league's tournament title with the regular-season championship it captured last week.

St. Norbert (24-3) clinched its 15th NCAA Division III Tournament appearance and its first since 2017. The Green Knights, playing in their second season in the NACC, have won 16 consecutive games.
 
The Green Knights overcame a slow start offensively, going just 6-for-23 from the floor in the first half. St. Norbert, which trailed 12-6 after the first quarter, went from the 8:59 mark of the first period to the 8:36 mark of the second quarter without a made field goal. Emma Morrisey's 3-pointer brought St. Norbert to within 14-9.
 
Wisconsin Lutheran pushed its advangate to eight points, leading 23-15 with 4:06 left in the second quarter, but Chloe Gruszynski's 3-pointer at 3:20 and a coast-to-coast layup by Olivia DeCleene at 2:10 brought the Green Knights to within 24-20 at halftime.
 
St. Norbert's defense turned up the intensity to start the third quarter, going on an 11-1 run to open the period. Morrisey finished at the rim 10 seconds into the quarter, while DeCleene's trey at 7:47 put St. Norbert up 25-24. DeCleene then had a layup at 6:38 for a 27-24 lead which led to the Warriors asking for time. Wisconsin Lutheran split a pair of free throws at 3:45, but Gierczak and Taylor Thiry had consecutive layups for a 31-25 lead with 2:15 to go. The Green Knights led 34-29 at the end of the third quarter thanks to the Warriors going from the 5:30 mark of the second quarter to the 31-second mark of the third quarter – a total of 14:59 – without a field goal.
 
A 3-pointer by Gruszynski put St. Norbert ahead 39-31 with 7:50 to play, but the only basket in the next four minutes was a layup by Wisconsin Lutheran's Sam Leisemann with 5:23 left. DeCleene broke the St. Norbert scoring drought at 3:50 with a 3-pointer for a 42-33 lead, the Green Knights' largest lead of the game. St. Norbert led 44-36 inside 90 seconds left but the Warriors' Ally Gough found kind iron on a 3-pointer with 1:19 left. Following a St. Norbert turnover, Wisconsin Lutheran's Haley Ott made it a one-possession game with a jumper with 42 seconds to go.
 
St. Norbert then turned to DeCleene on the next possession, with her floating teardrop jumper true with 19 seconds left. She converted a conventional three-point play after the shot, effectively sealing the win with a 47-41 lead.
 
DeCleene led St. Norbert with 16 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. Fourteen of DeCleene's points came in the second half, accounting for half of the Green Knights' 28 points in the final 20 minutes of action. Gruszynski added 10 points and eight rebounds, while Morrisey had nine points.
 
St. Norbert shot 17-for-52 (32.7 percent) from the floor but outrebounded the taller Warriors 36-29.
 
Wisconsin Lutheran shot 14-for-38 (36.8 percent) from the floor. Leisemann led the Warriors with 12 points and nine rebounds.