BROOKLYN FACES ST. JOHN FISHER IN NCAA MEN'S OPENER
By winning their second consecutive CUNYAC / Con Edison Men’s Basketball Championship last Saturday at CCNY, the Brooklyn College Bulldogs (22-6) will now travel to Rochester, New York to face host St. John's Fisher College (22-5) on Friday, March 5th at 8:00 pm in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship's opening round.
Brandeis University (19-6) and St. Lawrence University (16-11) will also play at St. John Fisher at 6 pm, Friday as well. The two winners from Friday night will advance to the second round and will play at Fisher on Saturday (7:00 pm) with the winner of that game advancing to the “Sweet 16” the following week.
The second-seeded Bulldogs beat top-seeded York College, 79-68 last Saturday to win the CUNYAC title. Senior forward Richard Jean-Baptiste scored a game-high 28 points 45th Annual CUNYAC / Con Edison Championships and was named Tournament Most Valuable Player for the second consecutive time.
Fisher, a member of the Empire 8 Athletic Conference, earned an at-large bid to the national tournament. This marks the sixth time in the last eight seasons that the Cardinals have advanced to the national tournament.
"Last year we lost a heartbreaker in the first round," said Jean-Baptiste after the CUNYAC final. "We had the lead with seven minutes to go and we let it slip away. But the best part about this year's team is the we were all there for that and remember that feeling coming home on the bus. We're gonna die trying to bring back a win this time. That's a promise!"
BARUCH SET TO PLAY AT BOWDOIN IN NCAA WOMEN'S ACTION
With their third straight CUNYAC / Con Edison Women's Basketball Championship in hand, the Baruch College Bearcats (23-5) will now play Bowdoin College (20-6) in Brunswick, Maine on Friday night at 7:00 pm in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championships. Last year, Baruch, who will now make the school's fourth-ever appearance in the Big Dance, was eliminated in the second round in 2009.
Meanwhile, the University of New England (23-5) and Western Connecticut State College (22-5) will play the first game of the night at 5:00 pm. Friday’s winners will play Saturday at 7:00 in the second round, and the winner of this group will advance to the NCAA Regionals the following weekend.
The Bearcats, coached by Machli Joseph, won the CUNYAC Championship and earned the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive year. The team is led by junior guard Monique Salmon, the CUNYAC Player of the Year, who set a new record in the 34-year history of the CUNYAC Basketball Championships with 14 assists in the title game and senior forward Kalea Davis, the Tournament Most Valuable Player, who had a double-double of 19 points and 15 rebounds in the Bearcats 93-84 victory over second-seeded Hunter College.
Bowdoin College, which received an at-large berth to this year's tournament, is a member of the New England Small College Athletic Conference. The Polar Bears currently own a 20-6 overall record and finished the regular season with a 5-4 mark in their conference.
“We’re a playing a school steeped in NCAA tradition," stated Baruch head Coach Machli Joseph. "They play in aquality conference (NESCAC), with five teams in the tournament, so they’re battle-tested. It's going to be the ultimate challenge for us, playing a team that has won an NCAA game nine straight years. But we're really looking forward to this opportunity. We're going to enjoy March Madness and the Maine, which none of us have been to before. But make no mistake, we’re going to be prepared to make a name for ourselves and CUNYAC. The key is coming out hard and being ready to play in their environment from the tip.”
YORK, BARUCH & MEDGAR EVERS ALL IN ECAC METRO MEN'S TOURNAMENT
The York College Cardinals (21-7), who won the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Men's Basketball Championship in 1998 are the CUNY Athletic Conference's top team in the tournament beginning on Wednesday, March 3rd at the home courts of the highest seeds. York is seeded third in the eight-team tournament and will open up with a home game. York, the CUNYAC's South Division Champion and overall #1 seed, lost in the ECAC quarterfinals last season. #5 Baruch College (20-7) and #8 Medgar Evers College (13-13) will begin on the road on Wednesday. Baruch hasn't played in the ECAC's since winning the title in 2003 and Medgar Evers last qualified in 2002.
In the first round, SUNY Old Westbury (20-7) will host Medgar Evers at 7 pm, while the second seed New York University (16-9) will face No. 7 New Jersey City University (13-12) at 7 p.m., at NYU. The No. 3 seed, York College plays St. Joseph’s (LI) (20-6) at 7 pm, at York, and Stevens (18-8) will take on Baruch at 7 pm, in the No. 4/No. 5 match-up at Stevens in Hoboken, NJ.
The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, March 6th at the home of the highest remaining seed. The winner of Old Westbury-Medgar Evers will face the winner of Stevens-Baruch at TBA. in one semifinal, and the winner of NYU-NJCU will play the winner of York-St. Joseph’s at TBA. in the other semifinal. The semifinal winners will meet Sunday, March 7th at 12 noon for the championship.
2010 ECAC Division III Men’s Metro Basketball Championships
First Round – Wednesday, March 3rd
No. 8 Medgar Evers (13-13) at No. 1 SUNY Old Westbury (20-7) 7 pm.
No. 7 New Jersey City U. (13-12) at No. 2 NYU (16-9) 7 pm.
No. 6 St. Joseph’s (LI) (20-6) at No. 3 York (21-7) 7pm.
No. 5 Baruch (20-7) at No. 4 Stevens (18-8) 7 pm.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 6th at highest remaining seed
Old Westbury-Medgar Evers winner vs. Stevens-Baruch winner, TBA.
NYU-NJCU winner vs. York-St. Joseph’s winner, TBA.
Championship – Sunday, March 7th at Semi-Final Site
Two Semifinal Winners, 12 Noon
HUNTER & BROOKLYN SELECTED FOR ECAC METRO WOMEN'S TOURNAMENT
Fresh off their first CUNYAC Championship game appearance since 2005, the Hunter College Hawks (17-11) earned the #3 seed in the eight-team Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Metro Women's Championship, beginning on Wednesday, March 3rd at the home courts of the highest seeds. Hunter will host the #6 New York University (13-12) on Wednesday, March 3 at 6:00 p.m. at the Hunter Sportsplex.
The Brooklyn College Bulldogs (16-10) earned the #4 seed and will also play a home game, the first postseason contest in the brand new West Quad Gymnasium. Brooklyn will host Richard Stockton College (13-13) at 5:00 pm on Wednesday. This is the second straight year that the Bulldogs have reached the ECAC Tournament, as they fell in the quarterfinals last season, while the Hawks haven't played in the ECAC's since 2001.
In the first round on Wednesday, March 3, Stevens (16-10) will host Saint Joseph’s College of Long Island (15-11) at 6:00 p.m. while the second seed Mount Saint Vincent (18-9) will face No. 7 Drew University (14-11) at 7:00 p.m. at Drew. No. 3 Hunter College plays New York University (13-12) at 6:00 p.m. at Hunter and Brooklyn College will take on Richard Stockton College (13-13) at 5:00 p.m. in the No. 4/No. 5 match-up at Brooklyn.
The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, March 6, hosted by the highest remaining seeds. The winner of Stevens/Saint Joseph’s will face the winner of Brooklyn/Richard Stockton at a time to be determined in one semifinal, and the winner of Mount Saint Vincent/Drew will play the winner of Hunter/NYU at a time to be determined in the other semifinal. The semifinal winners will meet Sunday, March 7 at a time to be determined for the championship.
2010 ECAC Division III Metro Women’s Basketball Championship:
First Round – Wednesday, March 3, 2010
No. 8 Saint Joseph’s (15-11) at No. 1 Stevens (16-10), 6:00 pm.
No. 2 Mount Saint Vincent (18-9) at No. 7 Drew (14-11), 7:00 pm.
No. 6 NYU (13-12) at No. 3 Hunter (17-11), 6:00 pm.
No. 5 Richard Stockton (13-13) at No. 4 Brooklyn (16-10), 5:00 pm.
Semifinals – Saturday, March 6, 2010 at highest remaining seed
No. 1 Stevens/No. 8 Saint Joseph’s winner vs. Brooklyn/Richard Stockton winner, TBA
No. 2 Mount Saint Vincent/No. 7 Drew winner vs. No. 3 Hunter/No. 6 NYU winner, TBA
Championship – Sunday, March 7, 2010 at the same site as semifinals
Two Semifinal Winners, TBA
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