EAC women claim first-ever NJCAA Division I National Championship with gritty 57-51 win over New Mexico Junior College
By Jon Johnson and Kris McBride
LAKE CHARLES, La. — The Eastern Arizona College women’s basketball team etched its name into the history books Tuesday night, capturing the program’s first NJCAA Division I National Championship with a hard-fought 57-51 victory over New Mexico Junior College in the title game at the Lake Charles Arena.
The Gila Monsters, representing Thatcher and the entire Gila Valley, showed the heart and resilience that carried them through the entire tournament, pulling away in the second half and sealing the deal at the free-throw line in the closing seconds.
It was a back-and-forth battle early on, just as expected in a national championship tilt. EAC and New Mexico traded punches throughout the first quarter. Eanae Dagons knocked down a 3-pointer, and Danaeja Romero-Ah Sam went 2-for-2 from beyond the arc, but the Thunderbirds answered with four field goals from Jada Graves and a deep ball by Madison Wilson. The score sat knotted at 15-15 after one.
New Mexico grabbed the early edge in the second quarter, pushing ahead 17-15 and then 18-15. But Trinity Alex-Mayer snagged a rebound and drained a 3-pointer to knot it at 18-18. The Thunderbirds responded immediately with a triple from Addison Edwards to go back up 21-18 with 7:04 left in the half. New Mexico took a slim 29-27 lead into the locker room.
The Monsters came out firing in the third quarter. They stormed back to take the lead for the rest of the game at 38-33 with 3:56 remaining in the period. Romero-Ah Sam added another 3-pointer moments later to stretch it to 41-35. By the end of the third, EAC held a 41-37 advantage.
EAC kept the momentum rolling into the fourth. The Monsters pushed their lead to 51-42 with 5:33 to play, looking like they might pull away for good. But Graves, who led all scorers with 21 points, answered with an and-1 play at the 3:33 mark to cut the deficit to four and keep New Mexico alive.
Romero-Ah Sam responded with a layup to make it 53-47. Luisa Amaral hit a jumper for the Thunderbirds to close it to 53-49. From there, New Mexico was forced to foul as the clock ticked under 30 seconds.
Romero-Ah Sam went 1-for-2 at the line to push the lead to 54-49 with 25 seconds left. Wilson answered with a layup for New Mexico, making it 54-51 with 12 seconds remaining. The Thunderbirds then intentionally fouled Esmeralda Enriquez, who stepped up and knocked down both free throws to make it 56-51.
After a New Mexico miss, Enriquez was fouled again and made 1-of-2 to set the final score at 57-51 as time expired. The celebration began for the Gila Monsters.
Enriquez finished with a game-high 16 points on 5-of-20 shooting, including 3-of-10 from 3-point range, while grabbing five rebounds. Romero-Ah Sam added 14 points, going 5-of-14 from the field and 3-of-11 from deep. Dagons chipped in 12 points and five rebounds.
Lucia Auza contributed six points and five rebounds, while Trinity Carmouche hauled in a team-high eight boards to go with three points. Stephany Goncalves was a defensive presence, collecting 9 rebounds despite being held scoreless.
For New Mexico, Graves poured in 21 points on 9-of-20 shooting. Azaleeah Oloapu added nine points and 11 rebounds, while Wilson had seven points and 10 boards.
The Gila Monsters completed a historic postseason run, securing the program’s first national title and finishing the season with a record of 33–2.
“I’m incredibly proud of our student-athletes and coaching staff for the way they represented Eastern Arizona College throughout the season,” said EA Athletic Director Paul Demuth. “Their commitment and effort led to one of the most successful seasons in program history.”
“This team believed in each other from day one,” EA Head Coach Angelica de Paulo said. “What they accomplished is a result of their talent, their toughness, and the way they competed for each other every single game. I couldn’t be prouder of this group.”
Throughout the tournament, Eastern Arizona established itself as one of the nation’s top defensive teams, holding four consecutive opponents to 56 points or fewer.
“We are incredibly proud of our women’s basketball team for this historic accomplishment,” said EA President Todd Haynie. “Their success on the national stage reflects the determination, resilience, and excellence that define Eastern Arizona College.”
The championship caps an outstanding season for the Monsters, who entered the national tournament as the No. 2 seed and showed they belonged among the best teams in the country from start to finish.
For the first time in school history, the EAC women’s basketball program can call itself national champions. The Gila Valley has another reason to be proud tonight.
Kris McBride/EAC contributed to this report.
