NORTHAMPTON, Mass.--The Smith College basketball team is getting ready to make history yet again, as the Pioneers will make the 206 mile trip to Gorham, Maine, to play the No. 8 ranked University of Southern Maine in the opening round of the 2013 NCAA Division III Championship on Friday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m.
While the Pioneers (22-4) are making their first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament, Southern Maine is basketball royalty; the Huskies (27-1), champions of the Little East Conference, have appeared in 26 of the 28 tournaments since making the switch from the NAIA to the NCAA in 1985. USM has finished as national runner-up three times, in 1998, 2000, and 2006. The Southern Maine Regional will also feature Ithaca College (25-2) and Colby-Sawyer College (23-5). Those two teams will play at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, and the two winners will match up at 7 p.m. on Saturday in the Sectional final.
Ticket Information: Tickets are $7 for the general public, $5 for seniors and students with an ID, and children 6 and under are admitted free. Tickets will be available for purchase starting at 4 p.m. on Friday, and 5 p.m. on Saturday.
Smith vs. the Regional Opponents:
The two teams have matched up once before, in the season opening game of the 1996-97 season. The Huskies took a 63-49 win that day, in a game played at Wheaton College. Smith has never played Ithaca, who is ranked No. 25 in the latest d3hoops.com poll, and has a 2-1 record all-time against the Colby-Sawyer, with the last meeting coming on February 5, 1985.
Smith vs. the 2013 NCAA Tournament:
Smith has played two of the teams in this year's NCAA Tournament; the Pioneers fell on two separate occasions to Babson College, while earning a 53-49 win over Williams College. Babson will be playing SUNY-New Paltz in the opening round, in a game played at Tufts University, and Williams will face off against Scranton, on the campus of the University of Rochester.
Scouting Smith:
Coached by two-time NEWMAC Coach of the Year
Lynn Hersey, Smith is led by the trio of sophomore guard
Paulina Solis (Santa Ana, Calif./Foothill), senior guard
Devon Quattrocchi (Brewster, N.Y./Brewster), and junior forward/center
Rosa Drummond (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth). Solis is averaging 15.1 points per game and 3.8 assists per game, while Quattrocchi is averaging 12.1 points and 3.2 assists. Drummond, who became the program's 10th 1,000 point scorer this season, averages 11.9 points per game and 6.5 rebounds. Solis and Quattrocchi both earned NEWMAC First Team All-Conference honors, while Drummond was named to the Second Team.
Scouting Southern Maine:
Southern Maine, led by veteran head coach Gary Fifield, boasts four players who average at least 12.4 points per game. Seniors Nicole Garland and Jordan Grant both contribute 13.1 points per game, while sophomore Rebecca Knight chips in 12.5 points per game and senior Haley Jordan adds 12.4 points. Knight and Grant lead the team in rebounding with 8.1 and 7.6 boards, respectively. Garland, Grant, and Jordan were all named to the Little East Conference First Team, while Knight was named to the Second Team. Jordan was named to the LEC All-Defensive Team. Fifield was named the Co-Little East Coach of the Year, the 14th time he has received the honor.
Scouting Ithaca:
The Bombers punched their ticket with a 47-29 win over Hartwick in the championship game of the Empire 8 tournament. This is the 10th appearance for Ithaca in the NCAA tournament, and ninth in the last 13 years. Dan Raymond is in his 12th season at the helm for Ithaca, who are led by junior guard Kathryn Campbell. Averaging 12.6 points per game, Campbell plays 32 minutes per game, and is one of two players to start every game.
Scouting Colby-Sawyer:
The Chargers, champions of the North Atlantic Conference, are playing in the NCAA tournament for the seventh time, but the first since 2007-08. Senior Taylor DeSanty can really fill it up, averaging 17.3 points per game, while Cailin Bullett adds 11.9 points and Kelsey Cahill chips in at 11.8 points. Head coach George Martin is in his 19th season guiding the Chargers.
