#12 Stonehill Headed to 21st NCAA Tournament

Skyhawks seeded second in East Region will face 7th-seeded Franklin Pierce in first round Friday at Bentley University

Full NCAA II Tournament Bracket

EASTON, Mass. (March 10, 2013) – Stonehill College, ranked 12th in the most recent USA TODAY Sports/Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Division II poll, has earned its 21st bid to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championships and will be the No. 2-seed in next weekend's East Regional, hosted by top-seeded and No. 3-ranked Bentley University, at the Dana Athletic Center this weekend.

The regional will open with quarterfinal round action on Friday, March 15, followed by regional semifinals on Saturday, March 16, and the regional championship on Monday, March 18. Stonehill (23-4, 19-3 NE-10) received an at-large bid and will open the regional with a quarterfinal battle against fellow Northeast-10 Conference member and seventh-seeded Franklin Pierce University (18-10, 14-8 NE-10), who also received an at large bid, on Friday at 2:30 p.m.

The Skyhawks are making their 21st appearance in the NCAA Tournament in program history after finishing as runners-up in the Northeast-10 regular season standings. It marks the Skyhawks' eighth NCAA bid under head coach Trisha Brown, in her 12th season, and their first since 2010. Stonehill has reached the regional final seven times in program history, capturing two regional titles in back-to-back seasons in 1994 and '95. The 1995 team reached the national semifinal round.

NE-10 regular season and tournament champions Bentley (28-1, 21-1 NE-10), ranked No. 3 in this week's USA TODAY Sports/WBCA poll, earned the top seed and automatic bid from the NE-10 and will serve as regional host. Following second-seeded Stonehill is third-seeded and No. 11-ranked Dowling College (25-3, 17-1 ECC) the East Coast Conference regular season and tournament champions, fourth-seeded and No. 5-ranked Holy Family University (27-2, 18-1 CACC) the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament champions, fifth-seeded Assumption College (22-7, 17-5 NE-10), who earned an at-large bid from the NE-10, sixth-seeded and No. 23-ranked New York Institute of Technology (23-5, 14-4 ECC) from the ECC earned an at large bid, followed by Franklin Pierce and eighth-seeded LIU Post (19-9, 11-7 ECC), who earned the final at large bid. The full regional schedule is listed below.

The winner of the East Region will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, which will be held March 26-29 at Bill Greehey Arena, on the campus of Saint Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas, for the national quarterfinals, semifinals and championship. The East Region champs will face the winner of the South Central Region in a national quarterfinal.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market. 

MATCHUPS IN 2013 NCAA DIVISION II EAST REGIONAL
Friday, March 15 (Quarterfinals)
#3 Dowling (25-3) vs. #6 New York Institute of Technology (23-5), Noon
#2 Stonehill (23-4) vs. #7 Franklin Pierce (18-10), 2:30 p.m.
#1 Bentley (28-1) vs. #8 LIU Post (19-9), 6 p.m.
#4 Holy Family (27-2) vs. #5 Assumption (22-7), 8:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 16 (Semifinals)
#2 Stonehill / #7 Franklin Pierce vs. #3 Dowling / #6 NYIT, 5 p.m.
#1 Bentley / #8 LIU Post vs. #4 Holy Family / #5 Assumption, 7:30 p.m.

Monday, March 18 (Championship)
#1, #8, #4 or #5 vs. #2, #7, #3 or #6, 7 p.m.