Northwest Missouri State Athletics

• 29-5 overall record (MIAA regular season/tournament champions)
• First and only Final Four in women's basketball in school history
• MIAA Coach and Player of the Year (Gene Steinmeyer, Gabby Curtis)

The list of accolades for the 2010-2011 women’s basketball team is a lengthy one. A final national ranking of No. 4, MIAA regular season and tournament championships, MIAA coach and player of the year award winners, a South Central Regional title and a perfect 15-0 mark at Bearcat Arena are just scratching the surface.
 
In early December of that season though, a list of accomplishments like that might have seemed out of reach following a 0-2 start in MIAA play. The response to that speed bump was impressive to say the least. An 18-1 stretch from Dec. 8 to Feb. 23 saw the Bearcats ride a high-powered offense all season long on their way to a program record 29 wins.
 
Tahlequah, Oklahoma was the destination for the No. 2-seeded Bearcats in the South Central Regional. Prior to that trip, there were only two NCAA wins in program history. They left no doubt about who the best team in the region was, racking up three wins by an average of 15.5 points a game. The championship game featured a defeat of upset-minded Central Oklahoma as seniors Gabby Curtis, Kyla Roehrig and Gentry Dietz were selected to the all-tournament team following the Bearcats’ first regional title.
 
The scene shifted to St. Joe for the Elite Eight. Game one featured a matchup with Cal Poly Pomona. The Bearcats jumped out to an early lead and built a 17-point lead at half as they cruised to a spot in the Final Four.
 
Next was a matchup with Michigan Tech with a berth in the national title game on the line. A hard fought game saw the Bearcats cut the lead to one with just under 10 minutes to play, but Michigan Tech would hang on for the win and bring the greatest single season in Northwest women’s basketball to a close.