Top Play-In Seeds Earn GNAC Women’s Basketball Quarterfinal Berths
GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
WINTHROP, Mass. – Both home teams, No. 7 seed Regis and No. 8 seed Rivier picked up victories on Monday (Feb. 19) in the Play-In Round of the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. They both advance to the GNAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
The Pride advanced in the bracket thanks to a 60-32 win over No. 10 seed Colby-Sawyer. Meanwhile, the Raiders bested No. 9 seed Johnson & Wales, 82-73, to move on in the conference tournament bracket.
Awaiting the Play-In winners in the quarterfinal round are No. 1 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) which will host the Raiders and No. 2 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) which will welcome the Pride. Both games are scheduled for 5 p.m. tip offs.
The other two quarterfinals on Tuesday feature No. 3 seed Albertus Magnus entertaining No. 6 seed New England College at 5:30 p.m. and No. 4 seed Emmanuel matching up with No. 5 seed Lasell at 6 p.m.
The four quarterfinal winners will earn the right to compete in the GNAC Semifinals, which are scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 22. They will be competing for the opportunity to play in the GNAC Championship on Saturday, Feb. 24. The winner of the GNAC Championship game will be named the 2024 GNAC Women's Basketball Champion and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.
#7 Regis 60, #10 Colby-Sawyer
Recap courtesy of the Regis Athletic Communications Department.
WESTON, Mass. - Regis College's defense controlled Monday's contest against Colby-Sawyer College as the Pride defeated the Chargers, 60-32, in a first round contest in the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament at Higgins Court.
Madi Zancan notched her 12th double-double of the season as she led the Pride with 18 points and 11 rebounds, while Courtney Doherty finished with 13 points. Erika Marinelli scored 10 points, Haley Lightbody also pulled down 11 rebounds to go along with five points, three assists, and three steals, and Emma Pollini contributed five points, two rebounds, and three steals off the bench.
Both teams struggled offensively through the first five minutes of the game as neither team made a field goal until Zancan hit a layup halfway through the first quarter. Zancan scored all nine Regis points in the opening period while the Pride held the Chargers to just a layup by Catherine Chick in the final minute of the period.
Doherty opened the second quarter with a three-pointer and two made free throws, followed by a three-pointer from Jordyn Striggles to extend the Pride advantage to 17-2. Makenna Grillone hit two three-pointers to help Colby-Sawyer fight back, but three-pointers from Marinelli and Doherty late in the first half extended the Regis lead to 25-10 at halftime.
Regis outscored Colby-Sawyer 24-11 in the third quarter to put the game away, with each team scoring 11 points in the fourth quarter. For the game, the Chargers were held to 22.4 percent (11-for-49) field goal shooting, plus they committed 28 turnovers that led to 21 Regis points.
Grillone finished with eight points and three steals to lead the Chargers, while Courtney Brewster and Chick pulled down seven rebounds each. Colby-Sawyer's 2023-24 season concludes with an 8-18 overall record.
As a team, the Pride shot 30.6 percent (19-for-62) from the field, including 7-for-19 from behind the three-point line, and 78.9 percent (15-for-19) from the free throw line. Regis enjoyed a slight rebounding edge, 42-41, including 13 offensive boards that resulted in 20 second chance points.
Regis College (11-15) will head to West Hartford, Conn., to face University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) in a quarterfinal game of the 2024 GNAC Women's Basketball Tournament Tuesday, Feb. 20, starting at 5 p.m.
#8 Rivier 82, #9 Johnson & Wales 73
Recap courtesy of the Rivier Athletic Communications Department.
NASHUA, N.H. - The Rivier women's basketball team knocked Johnson & Wales out of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament in Monday night's Play-In contest, earning an 82-73 victory at the Muldoon Center.
The Raiders head into the GNAC Quarterfinal at 10-16 overall, while the Wildcats finished the season 10-15.
Rivier came out of each quarter with the lead, dominating the Wildcats through all four quarters.
Four Raiders reached double-digits in points tonight in the defeat of the Wildcats. Alexa Dufries was the powerhouse of the Raiders' offense, hitting four threes on her way to totaling 20 points. Rachel Guinn trailed right behind, putting away 17 points while hauling in seven rebounds. First-year Alyssa Scharn of the Raiders came off the bench with a large 13 points and six rebounds.
Rivier shot 40.6 percent from behind the three-point line tonight. The Raiders scored 25 points off turnovers after stealing the ball 13 times.
The Raiders are headed to Standish, Maine to face Saint Joseph's in the GNAC Quarterfinals with a 5 p.m. tip-off at the Harold Alfond Center. Rivier travels to SJC for the third year in a row for a GNAC postseason game.
2024 GNAC Women's Basketball Tournament Schedule
Play-In – Monday, Feb. 19
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#7 Regis def. #10 Colby-Sawyer, 60-32 | BOX
#8 Rivier def. #9 Johnson & Wales, 82-73 | BOX
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 20
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#8 Rivier at #1 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 5 p.m.
#7 Regis at #2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 5 p.m.
#6 New England College at #3 Albertus Magnus, 5:30 p.m.
#5 Lasell at #4 Emmanuel, 6 p.m.
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 22
(Hosted by higher seeds)
#1/8 Winner vs. #4/5 Winner, TBD
#2/7 Winner vs. #3/6 Winner, TBD
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24
Semifinal winners, TBD
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
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