INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) released on Monday afternoon the bracket for the 2023 Division III Women's Basketball Tournament, and the Smith College Pioneers were selected as the No. 1 overall seed and will host the First and Second Rounds of the Tournament in Ainsworth Gymnasium.
The Pioneers (26-1) will take on the SUNY Morrisville Mustangs (20-7) in the First Round on Friday, with the Marymount (VA) Saints (23-4) and St. John Fisher Cardinals (25-2) squaring off in the other opening round in Northampton.
Tickets will be available for purchase at 4:45pm on Friday March 3rd and at 6:45pm on Saturday March 4th at the lower level entrance of Ainsworth Gymnasium. PRESALE TICKETS WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE
Adults - $10
Seniors/Students/Children - $7
Children under 2 are free
Any questions regarding tickets can be made to Donna Gingras (dgingras@smith.edu)
Opening Round games will take place in Ainsworth Gymnasium with Marymount and St. John Fisher playing at 5:45pm and Smith taking on SUNY Morrisville at 8:15pm on Friday, March 3. The Winner's from Friday's games will play in the Second Round on Saturday at 7:45 p.m.
The is Smith's fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament all of which have come under head coach
Lynn Hersey.
The Pioneers, ranked No. 4 in the most recent D3hoops.com Poll, enter the Tournament 26-1 overall and currently holds a 20-game winning streak. Smith claimed their spot in the Tournament after a late run in the NEWMAC Championship game against Babson to win their third-straight conference title by a 67-52 final. Last season, Smith hosted the first two rounds of the Tournament and claimed a pair of victories before falling to the Wisconsin-Whitewater in the "Sweet 16."
Sixteen first/second-round sites will be conducted March 3-4. Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites March 10-11. Winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals March 18. All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions. The semifinals will be conducted at Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, Connecticut, hosted by Trinity College (Connecticut).
For only the second time in the 41-year history of NCAA women's basketball, the NCAA Division II and III national championships will be decided at the Women's Final Four site. Both games will be Saturday, April 1, at the American Airlines Center, with the Division III championship game tipping at 11 a.m. Central time, followed by the Division II title game at 2:30 p.m. Central time. Both games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.
Fans are encouraged to follow SmithPioneers.com this week for a full preview of the opening weekend games.
About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
