Quite the weekend not to have access to a computer... sigh.

First things first -- 'cause I know you're on tenterhooks about it: Yes, Division III has a new champeen. And yes, they completed their season of perfection.

In Friday's semi-finals, Howard Payne didn't let a little snow interfere with their win over Wisconsin-Whitewater. 2,367 fans watched as the team from Texas defeated UW-W, 69-59.

In the other semi-final game, Messiah had five players score in double figures as they defeated Oglethorpe, 80-60. Junior Silalei Shani led the way with 16 points and senior guard Lauren Schurr nailed four 3-pointers, finishing with 14 points.

"I didn't get them ready to play for 40 minutes," Oglethorpe coach Ron Sattele said. "I missed the boat somewhere. It's the coach's job to get them mentally tough, and I take the blame for that."

In the championship game, Howard Payne went into the half with a 35-25 lead and then outscored Messiah, 33-29 over the final 20 minutes. The 68-54 victory earned the Yellow Jackets their first NCAA national championship in any sport.

Howard Payne senior Kimberly Hoffman led all scorers with 21 points, while Meia Daniels and Stacey Blalock chipped in 15 points apiece.

"It's something we'll always remember, even 30 years from now," said Meia Daniels, the tournament's most outstanding player."

HPU (33-0) became the first American Southwest Conference team to win an NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament championship and only the fifth NCAA Division III women's squad to win the title with a perfect record.

Of note: Saturday's attendance of 2,607 was the fourth highest since the tournament started in 1982 and the second largest since the Final Four moved to a neutral court. The two-day total of 4,993 out-drew the two-day men's total at Salem, Va., by 199 fans.

"That speaks volumes for how well the women play," said HPU coach, Chris Kielsmeier.