EMMANUEL EARNS NO. 1 SEED FOR ECAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT

BOSTON, Mass. – Despite suffering an upset in last week's GNAC Women's Basketball Tournament, the Emmanuel College Saints will have a shot at some March Madness after all.  Although they will not head to the "big dance" this season, the Saints have earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III New England Championship and will play host to the No. 8-seeded Brandeis University Judges on Wednesday night.  Tip off is scheduled for 7:00 PM in the Jean Yawkey Center.

The tournament is an eight-team field, with a quarterfinal round followed by a semifinal and championship round.  In the first-round contests on Wednesday, March 5, Emmanuel (19-7) will host Brandeis (13-12), while the second seed Endicott College (20-7) will host No. 7 Wellesley College (16-9). No. 3 Wheaton College (20-7) hosts Framingham State University (17-11) and Smith College (16-11) will take on Rivier University (20-7) in the No. 4/No. 5 match-up to be played at Smith College.

The first-round winners will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, March 8^, hosted by the highest remaining seed. The winner of Emmanuel College/Brandeis University will face the winner of Smith College/Rivier University in one semifinal and the winner of Endicott College/Wellesley College will take on the winner of Wheaton College/Framingham State University in the other semifinal. The semifinal winners will meet Sunday, March 9 for the championship at the same site.

Wednesday night's battle between the Saints and the Judges will be a re-match of a game played earlier this season.  Back on November 26th, when the Saints were ranked No. 25 nationally, Brandeis defeated Emmanuel, 80-72, on the Saints' home court.  The Judges got a game-high 18 points from Niki Laskaris in the win.  Kasey Dean and Nicolina Vitale currently lead Brandeis, averaging 9.9 and 9.8 points per game, respectively.

Emmanuel has been led all season by 1st Team All-GNAC selection Lena Negri. Negri averages 13.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.  Sophomore and 3rd Team All-Conference pick Sarah Higgins is good for 10.5 points per game, while junior Jennifer Bujnowski nets 9.7 points and hauls in 6.6 boards per night.

This will be the 25th time Emmanuel and Brandeis have squared off, with the Saints leading the series, 15-9.  These two teams last met in the post-season back in 2010, when Emmanuel defeated Brandeis, 71-66, to advance to the NCAA Division III Sweet Sixteen.

The two seasoned head coaches on the sidelines this Wednesday night combine 64 years experience with their programs and over 1,100 career wins.  Brandeis is led by Carol Simon, who is in her 27th season at the helm, while the Saints are coached by Andy Yosinoff, in his 37th year at Emmanuel.

ECAC Division III NEW ENGLAND TOURNAMENT PAIRINGS: 

First Round – Wednesday, March 5

No. 8 Brandeis University (13-12) at No. 1 Emmanuel College (19-7), 7 p.m.
No. 7 Wellesley College (16-9) at No. 2 Endicott College (20-7), 7 p.m.
No. 6 Framingham State University (17-11) at No. 3 Wheaton College (20-7), 7 p.m.
No. 5 Rivier University (20-7) at No. 4 Smith College (16-11), 7 p.m.

Semifinals – Saturday, March 8 at Highest Remaining Seed

No. 1 Emmanuel College/No. 8 Brandeis University winner vs. No. 4 Smith College/No. 5 Rivier University winner, TBD
No. 2 Endicott College/No. 7 Wellesley College winner vs. No. 3 Wheaton College/No. 4 Smith College winner, TBD 

Championship – Sunday, March 9 at Highest Remaining Seed

Two Semifinal Winners, TBD

Emmanuel will provide both Live Stats and Live Video for Wednesday's ECAC Tournament game.

Tournament Bracket

Tournament Central