Ithaca Ready to Host NCAA Regional Pod
ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's basketball team is set to take on the Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers on Friday evening, March 3, at 7 p.m. inside Ben Light Gymnasium for the first round of the NCAA Division III Championship. It will mark Ithaca's 13th appearance in the NCAA Tournament and the third trip in the last four seasons.
Prior to the 7 p.m. tip between Ithaca and RIT, the 19th ranked Bowdoin College Polar Bears and SUNY New Paltz Hawks will square off at 5 p.m. Advancing teams from Friday night's contests will meet up at 5 p.m. on Saturday for a trip to the NCAA Third Round (Sweet 16).
Ithaca 1-0 this season against the regional pod, with its lone victory coming against New Paltz, 78-50, on January 10. The Bombers last met Bowdoin in the second round of the 2014-15 tournament, where the Polar Bears came away with a 71-66 win. Ithaca's most familiar opponent in the pod, RIT, is a former member of the Empire 8 and the Bombers own an overall record of 44-2 against the Tigers.
REGIONAL SCHEDULE:
Friday, March 3 - No. 19 Bowdoin vs. New Paltz - 5 p.m.
Live Stats |
Video |
Stretch Webcast
Friday, March 3 - Ithaca vs. RIT - 7 p.m.
Live Stats |
Video |
Stretch Webcast
Saturday, March 4 – Advancing Teams - 5 p.m.
Live Stats |
Video |
Stretch Webcast
For more information on the regional and the NCAA Division III Championship, click on the
following link to the Regional Homepage.
TICKETS:
$7 for adults
$4 for youth, students and senior citizens
BREAKING DOWN THE POD:
Ithaca College Bombers (24-3)
Automatic Bid – Empire 8 Conference
The Bombers secured a spot in this year's field with a 77-74 victory over Stevens Institute of Technology in the Empire 8 title game on February 25. Ithaca is 12-12 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and made a run to the "Elite 8" in 2013-14.
Ithaca will bring a 13-game winning streak into the tournament. The Bombers will be led by a pair of first-team all-conference selections, senior
Ali Ricchiuti who was named the Most Valuable Player of the Empire 8 Tournament, and junior
Jordan Beers. Ricchiuti averages a team-high 10.9 points per game (42.6 field goal percentage) and is second in assists with 64, while Beers tallies 10.7 points per contest (46 3-pointers made). Senior
Erin Ferguson adds 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per outing in the low-post, while junior
Julie Yacovoni, an Empire 8 All-Tournament selection, is a versatile player for the Bombers on both ends of the floor (8.3 PPG, 4.1 RPG, 2.2 SPG and 1.1 BPG). Eight other players on the team have contributed at least 2.9 points per contest, and all play more than 10.4 minutes per game. Ithaca is also one of the nation's scrappiest defensive teams, as the Bombers rank seventh in steals, eighth in steals per game, 11th in turnover margin and 12th in turnovers forced.
No. 19 Bowdoin College Polar Bears (21-4)
At-Large Bid – New England Small College Athletic Conference
The 19th ranked Polar Bears are making their 17th trip to the NCAA Tournament, all but one appearance came before 2000. Bowdoin fell in the NESCAC semifinal game to third-ranked Tufts, 49-44, and was selected as one of the 21 at-large teams to the tournament. Bowdoin is 31-16 all-time in the championship and has made 11 "Sweet 16" appearances, six "Elite 8" trips and one "Final Four" showing in 2004.
There is not a single player on Bowdoin's roster that average more than 10 points per game. In fact, the Polar Bears' leading scorer and NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year, junior Kate Kerrigan, tallies 8.8 points per game. Seven other members of the team chip in at least 5.0 points per contest and 13 players see more than eight minutes of action per game. Bowdoin is the only team in the top 25 that does not possess a double-digit scorer, and the Polar Bears rely heavily on a stingy defensive attack. Bowdoin ranks 15th nationally in assist-to-turnover margin (1.10) and 18th in scoring defense (50.7 points per game).
SUNY New Paltz Hawks (18-8)
Automatic Bid – State University of New York Athletic Conference
New Paltz upset then-No. 16 and undefeated SUNY Geneseo, 57-56, in the SUNYAC championship to lock up its second consecutive trip to the tournament and third overall (all in the last five seasons). The Hawks earned a bye in the conference tournament and then down SUNY Brockport, 64-48, in the semifinals. New Paltz has never won an NCAA Tournament game.
Senior Kit Small leads almost every major category for the Hawks, as she averages 12.7 points, 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.9 steals per contests. Small also shoots a team-best 41.9-percent from the floor and was named to the SUNYAC All-Tournament Team. Sophomore Lindsey Bettke was named the SUNYAC's MVP of the tournament after scoring 18 points in the title game against Geneseo. Bettke is second on the squad with 11.3 points per game. Senior Courtney Irby is another go-to player for New Paltz as she contributes 8.5 points and 5.5 rebounds per outing. As a team, New Paltz holds its opposition to 57.9 points a game while scoring 65.0. The Hawks also outrebound their opponents by nearly two rebounds a contest (41.6 to 39.9) and notch 10.3 steals per outing.
Rochester Institute of Technology Tigers (19-8)
Automatic Bid – Liberty League
RIT will be making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament in the program's 30-year history this weekend after knocking off Clarkson University, 85-72, in the Liberty League final. The Tigers are winners of five straight games and nine of their last 10 heading into Friday's first round contest. RIT has outscored its opposition by an average of 23.7 points during its recent hot streak, and led the Liberty League in scoring at 73.1 points per game. The 19 victories for the Tigers this season are the second-most in program history, only behind last year's squad that went 20-7.
Cori Okada is the team's leading scorer at 14.3 points per game and also paces the team in 3-point percentage (42.4%) and assists per game (4.6). Okada was chosen as the MVP of the Liberty League Tournament after a 21-point, eight-assist effort against Clarkson. Tara Lynch is the team's best shooter from the floor at 49.5% as she averages 12.6 points a game and ranks first in rebounds a game with 5.1.