Raiders Set for Opening Round of FCSAA Championships
NICEVILLE, Fla. — The time of year has come. March is here which means Northwest Florida State women's basketball is set for another run at a national championship, looking to go back-to-back and win it's fourth in the last six seasons. First, they must get through this week. The FCSAA Division I Basketball Championships are back in Niceville, and the Raiders are eager to hoist another trophy.
Game Info
#1 Northwest Florida State vs. #8 Eastern Florida
March 12, 2026
Location: Niceville, FL, Raider Arena
Event: FCSAA Division I Basketball Championship Quarterfinal
Live Stream: FCSAA Digital Network
Bracket: Women's Bracket
Road to March
Northwest Florida dominated the regular season, finishing 24-3 overall with a conference best 10-2 record in Panhandle Play, leading to their eighth consecutive conference championship. Despite battling through multiple injuries throughout the year from some of their best players, the team always found a way to come out on top. They were rewarded for this with the No. 1 seed in this year's tournament, marking the second straight year they have the top overall seed in the field. The Raiders are looking to recapture the crown of FCSAA Champion, having won two titles in the last four seasons.
The Opponent
Northwest Florida opens the tournament against Eastern Florida, coached by former longtime Raider assistant Zack Banks, who helped bring two National Championships back to Northwest Florida in his seven seasons here (2021, 2024). While friends off the court, Bart Walker and Banks will leave it all on the court tomorrow for a chance at advancing to the semifinals on Friday.
The Titans have been decimated with injuries all season, with only three of their nine players active players playing all 30 games this season—one starter. Despite this, this still managed to sneak in as an eight seed, finishing with a 12-18 overall record and 7-11 conference record.
The team is led by Milica Lazarevic who averages 16.0 points per game on 42.7 percent from the field and 37.3 percent from three. She's also the team's leading rebounder with 6.0 boards per game. Behind Lazarevic is Bruna Silva who averages 13.3 points per game.
Postseason Honors
Several Raiders were recognized with postseason awards following the regular season. Khoudia Diagne, Jadah White and Carrington Jones were all named first team All-Panhandle. Camryn Corporan, Ka'Zahria Johnson and Niylia Wilkins were all selected to the second team.
In addition, Diagne and White were named to the All-FCSAA team. Diagne also earned Panhandle Conference Freshman of the Year along with Bart Walker earning Coach of the Year—his eight consecutives.
The Bracket
The winner of Wednesday's matchup will advance to face the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 game between Gulf Coast and Florida Southwestern, which is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. Thursday.
The semifinal round will take place Friday at 6:00 p.m., with the FCSAA Championship Game set for Saturday at 4:30 p.m. in Raider Arena.