WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TO FACE HARTWICK IN OPENING ROUND OF D-III NCAA TOURNEY

Feb. 29, 2012

BOSTON, Mass. - The 2012 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball tournament pairings have been released and the Emmanuel College Saints have drawn a first-round matchup against the Hartwick College Hawks this Friday evening in a 6:00 PM contest at the Murray Center Gymnasium on the Rhode Island College campus in Providence, R.I.

The Saints finished the regular season with an overall record of 22-6 en route to capturing their sixth consecutive Great Northeast Athletic Conference tournament title to earn the automatic qualifier while the Hawks hold a 22-5 mark and earned an at-large bid to the dance after falling in the Empire-8 championship game to Ithaca College, 43-36.

Emmanuel enters the tournament playing some of its best basketball on the year riding a 10-game winning streak dating back to January 28. The squad did not lose in the month of February and during their current streak have outscored opponents by an average of 21.0 ppg.

Hartwick also enjoyed a strong run to close out the regular season, winning 12 in a row from January 14 through February 11 in which they averaged a 13.5 point margin of victory before falling in their regular season finale to Stevens Institute of Technology, 60-54.

The two squad's only common opponent on the 2011-12 schedule was Suffolk University. Emmanuel saw the Rams twice on the year, once in regular season GNAC action and once in the GNAC Semifinals. On January 10 during the regular season matchup, EC came away with a hard fought 64-58 road victory before cruising to an 87-59 win in the conference tournament on February 23. Hartwick saw Suffolk in their third game of the season at the Western New England Hoops Classic Finals and fell in a tight championship game, 56-52.

The Saints are led by the 2011-12 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference selection, Meghan Kirwan (Melrose, Mass.). The senior co-captain has started 27 of 28 games on the year and is averaging impressive numbers in all four major statistical categories for the Saints. Kirwan is the Saints' second leading scorer, netting 13.8 points per game, and the team's third leading rebounder, grabbing 6.3 rebounds per game. She also is Emmanuel's leader in both assists (4.0 apg) and steals (2.8 spg). Most impressively, Kirwan leads the Saints and is ranked 5^th in the GNAC in field goal percentage, shooting 51% from the floor, as she has knocked down 149 of her 292 shots on the year.

Along with Kirwan, EC is powered by GNAC First Team All-Conference selection, Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.). The junior forward earned her second-straight All-Conference recognition, as she was named 3^rd Team All-GNAC as a sophomore. O'Dwyer is Emmanuel's leading scorer and rebounder, averaging 14.4 points and 8.4 rebounds per night. She is among the conference's leaders is both categories, ranking 9^th in scoring and 4^th in rebounding. O'Dwyer has shot 46% (186-409) from the floor for the season and has blocked 24 shots this year. O'Dwyer grabbed her 500^th career rebound earlier this season and is now just 35 points shy of 1,000 for her collegiate career.

Hartwick, who is making their first trip to the NCAA tournament in 13 years, is led by a pair of sophomore guards in Maria Foglia (Rensselaer, NY) and Kate Purcell (Buffalo, NY). Foglia earns First Team honors after receiving honorable mention from the conference coaches in her freshman season. She enters postseason play averaging 15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.8 assists, while shooting 86.6% from the free-throw line. Currently, she ranks 18th among NCAA D-III women's basketball players in free-throw percentage. Within the Empire 8, she ranks second in free-throw accuracy, fourth in scoring, sixth in three-pointers made, seventh in field-goal percentage, and eighth in 3-point field-goal percentage.

Purcell enjoyed a strong season for the Hawks as she led the team in rebounds (6.5/gm.), steals (66), and 3-pointers made (43). She also contributed greatly in the scoring column as she averaged 13.5 points per game and led the Hawks in scoring in 10 games this season. The sophomore recorded five double-doubles, which included a career-high 31 points and 14 rebounds in an 81-72 overtime win at Fisher on February 11.

Leading the Saints from the sidelines is 35^th year Head Coach Andy Yosinoff. In his tenure with Emmanuel, Yosinoff has compiled a 683-224 record for a .753 career winning percentage to rank third active and fourth all-time in wins among Division III coaches. The Hawks are staffed by fourth-year Head Coach Missy West who was named the 2012 Empire-8 Coach of the Year.
 
To watch the first round matchup between the Saints and Hawks online, click here to watch the live webstream from the Murray Center or here to follow the live in-game statistics. The winner will face off against the victor of the other regional matchup at 8:00 PM of Rhode Island College (24-3) vs. Baruch College (19-9) on Saturday, March 3 at 7:00 PM. If you'd like to watch the RIC vs. Baruch contest online, click here to view the live webstream. The second round matchup between the two winners can be viewed here.