Story courtesy of Christa Parulis-Kaye, Assistant Commissioner for Media Relations
For Immediate Release:
Sunday, February 22, 2009
ATTLEBORO, Mass.-Mitchell College has claimed the top seed for the 2008-2009 New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Women's Basketball Championship, which begins with quarterfinal matchups on campus sites the evening of Tuesday, February 24. The Mariners (16-9 overall) earned the top spot in the upcoming NECC tournament after posting 14-2 conference record.
Lesley University (15-10 overall) claimed the #2 seed going 14-2 in conference play. NECC tiebreaker procedures were used to determine the #1 and #2 seeds. Both Mitchell and Lesley have earned quarterfinal-round byes in the six-team tournament field.
Elms College (14-11 overall, 12-4 NECC) has earned the #3 seed, Daniel Webster College (15-10, 10-6) will be the #4 seed, Becker College (14-11, 10-6) is the #5 seed and Newbury College (5-20, 5-11) has claimed the #6 seed.
In quarterfinal-round action on Tuesday, February 24, #3 Elms will host #6 Newbury in Chicopee, Mass. at 7:00p.m., while #4 Daniel Webster will host #5 Becker in Nashua, N.H. at 6:00 p.m.
NECC tiebreaker procedures were also used to determine the #4 and #5 seeds, as Daniel Webster and Becker finished with a 10-6 conference record.
NECC tiebreaker procedures were utilized to seed the two teams tied for 1st and 4th place. In the first step to break the #1 and #2 seeded Mitchell and Lesley, both teams were tied in head-to-head competition. In step two, there were no teams ranked higher in NECC standings. There were no common non-conference opponents in step three. In step four, both teams' winning percentage versus all opponents with a .500 or better winning percentage were examined. As a result, Mitchell was awarded the #1 seed going 6-5 (.545 winning percentage), while Lesley earned the #2 seed going 6-9 (.400 winning percentage) against teams with a .500 or better overall record.
In the #4 Daniel Webster and #5 Becker tiebreaker, both teams were tied in head-to-head play. In the next step, both teams posted an identical 1-5 record against higher ranked NECC opponents. In step three, common non-conference play was examined were both schools went 2-0 against Anna Maria and Eastern Nazarene. Again in step four, both teams' winning percentage versus all opponents with a .500 or better winning percentage were examined. As a result, Daniel Webster was awarded the #4 seed going 3-9 (.250 winning percentage), while Becker earned the #5 seed going 2-10 (.167 winning percentage) against teams with a .500 or better overall record.
The semifinal and final rounds will be hosted by top-seeded Mitchell on Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28, respectively, in New London, Conn. In Friday's semifinals, Mitchell will face the winner of the Daniel Webster-Becker quarterfinal at 6:00 p.m., while Lesley will meet the winner of the Elms-Newbury quarterfinal at 8:00 p.m.
The semifinal winners will square off for the NECC Championship Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
2008-‘09 NECC WOMEN's BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
SCHEDULE
Quarterfinals • Tuesday, February 24
#6 Newbury (5-20, 5-11) at #3 Elms (14-11, 1 2-4), 7:00
p.m.
#5 Becker (14-11, 10-6) at #4 Daniel Webster (15-10, 10-6), 5:30
p.m.
Semifinals • Friday, February 27 ((Hosted by
Mitchell, New London, Conn.)
Winner of #4/#5 at #1 Mitchell (16-9, 14-2), 6:00
p.m.
Winner of #3/#6 vs. #2 Lesley (15-10, 14-2), 8:00
p.m.
Championship Game • Saturday, February 28 (Hosted
by Mitchell, New London, Conn.)
Semifinal Winners, 2:00 p.m.