MANCHESTER, N.H. – The Saint Anselm College women's basketball team has earned an at-large berth into the 2020 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship and will look to defend its 2019 East Region title this Friday, Mar. 13 on the campus of Adelphi University.
VIDEO: NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship Selection Show
LINK: NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship Bracket
The Hawks, who are seeded third in the eight-team East Region field, will battle sixth-seeded Le Moyne on Friday in the quarterfinals. The first round fixture will be a re-match of last season's East Region championship game, won by Saint Anselm on the campus of the University of the Sciences.
The Hawks entered this week ranked fourth in the second iteration of the East Region rankings, but moved up to the third spot thanks to strong victorious performances against Bentley in the regular-season finale and Adelphi, the eighth-ranked team in NCAA Division II, in the NE10 Semifinals.
In quarterfinals action, Adelphi (27-3) was awarded hosting privileges and will battle the No. 8 seed, Jefferson (20-11). USciences (26-4), the fourth seed, will take on Molloy (22-9), the fifth seed, while Stonehill (23-5), winners of the NE10 Championship on Sunday over Saint Anselm, are seeded second and will play the seventh-seeded Daemen (23-5) outfit.
Detailed information about the game, including start times, ticket information and a comprehensive game preview, will be released in the coming days.
Saint Anselm (21-7) is making its ninth appearance in the NCAA Division II Championship since becoming a varsity program in 1976. Winning their first regional championship last season after toppling three higher-seeded teams, the Hawks followed up a sensational 2019 season with its second consecutive 20-win campaign.
The Hawks made their first NE10 title game appearance in 22 seasons on Sunday, falling to No. 25-ranked Stonehill by an 80-61 margin in Merkert Gym. In the NE10 Semifinals, Saint Anselm turned away the No. 8-ranked team in NCAA Division II, Adelphi, to earn a spot in the league championship.
Saint Anselm entered this past weekend ranked atop of the NE10 in several statistical categories, including rebounds per game (44.3), rebound margin (10.2) and blocks per game (4.5). The Hawks rank second in the league with 73.6 points and 16.3 assists per game. The team's 43.8% field goal percentage prior to Sunday's loss was the second-best figure in the conference.
The regional semifinals will take place on Saturday, Mar. 14 and the East Region's championship game is slated for Monday, Mar. 16. The 2020 NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Elite Eight will be held in Birmingham, Ala. from Mar. 24-27.
