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Posted: Mar 03, 2025

Tartans Earn Fourth Bid to NCAA Tournament

Tartans Earn Fourth Bid to NCAA Tournament

(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind.) – The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team received an at-large bid to the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship after finishing the regular season with a 20-5 record. The bid is the fourth in program history and first since 2015-16.

The Tartans, who finished second in the University Athletic Association (UAA), will face Bridgewater State University, winners of the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference on Friday, March 7 at Johns Hopkins University. The winner will face the winner of Johns Hopkins and Saint Joseph (CT) on Saturday.

Leading the Tartans is a trio of seniors, Catherine Or, Anisha Chintala, and Isha Nambisan. Or averages 34.5 minutes a game and 18.1 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 4.6 assists a game. Chintala averages 10.3 points and 2.7 steals in 28.5 minutes a game while Nambisan is scoring 8.1 points per game while shooting 30.9% from three to lead the team with 1.8 made three-pointers a game.

Freshman Payton Baney is contributing 7.5 points per game in 24.7 minutes. She is shooting 57.4% from the floor and is grabbing 5.1 rebounds per game with 1.2 blocks a game. Junior Savannah Gibbs doubles as a post player and guard and is averaging 8.4 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.5 assists a game.

Junior Nicole Timko, a transfer from Christopher Newport University, is averaging 21.4 minutes off the bench for the Tartans. She is averaging 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.6 assists while shooting 44.2% from long range.

The Tartans closed the regular season with the second most wins in school history at 20 and finished second in the UAA for the second time in program history and first time since 1991-92. After a 10-0 start that saw the team enter the D3hoops.com national rankings before December, the Tartans swept four UAA opponents and ended a 61-game losing streak to Washington University in St. Louis.

The Tartans are 3-3 in NCAA Tournament games with the 2015-16 team advancing to the sectional semifinal after winning first and second round games at Hope College.