LEWISTON, MAINE - The Smith College basketball team will open play in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship on Friday when the Bears face Union College in a first-round matchup hosted by Bates College.

Game Schedule / Live Coverage
Friday, March 6
4:45pm - #4 Smith vs Union (NY) - Live Stats | Live Video
7:15pm - #9 Bates vs Merchant Marine - Live Stats | Live Video

Saturday, March 2
7:15pm - Second Round Game 

Broadcast Information
All games will be broadcast live via NCAA Championships Pass at NCAA.com. You can also download the app for viewing on your phone, tablet or smart TV by downloading the NCAA Champs App at the Apple App Store or Google Play.

Ticket Information
Tickets are sold out for Friday's games. 

Notables

• CONFERENCE CHAMPIONS: Smith captured its sixth-consecutive regular season championship Sunday, overcoming a 16-point deficit against Clark University
• RANKING: Smith enters the postseason ranked No. 4 in the WBCA Coaches' Poll, No. 6 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, and No. 1 in the region
• THE MAINE EXPERIENCE: The Bears are 6-2 in the state of Maine in NCAA Tournament games under head coach Lynn Hersey
• TOURNEY TIME: Smith boasts a 20-6 record in the NCAA Tournament
• NCAA EXPERIENCE: Smith will be making its eighth appearance in the NCAA Tournament
• ROAD WARRIORS: The Bears are 10-1 on the road this season

Scouting the Bears

• Smith enters Friday's game riding a 13-game win streak
• The Bears leads the NCAA in field goal percentage (46.9%) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.9%), while ranking fourth in the NCAA in scoring margin (+23.9)
• Hannah Martin (North Andover, MA/North Andover) was named the NEWMAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned NEWMAC All-Conference First Team honors. She is averaging 11.2 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game
• Virginia Johnson (Minneapolis, MN/Southwest) received All-Conference First Team recognition after a breakout season leading the Bears in points (12.5) and rebounds (6.6). She ranks fourth in program history with 72 three-point field goals this year
• Felicia Fongemie (Ashford, CT/Marianapolis Prep) was named to the NEWMAC All-Conference Second team and is averaging 9.4 points per game followed by Uta Nakamura (Manhattan, NY/Long Island Lutheran) at 9.3 ppg and a team-high 50 steals
• Head coach Lynn Hersey won her 350th game at Smith on January 31 against Springfield and is 24-8 all-time in the NEWMAC Tournament

Scouting Union

• Union swept the Liberty League regular-season and tournament titles for the second time in program history, finishing the regular season with a 16-2 conference mark before earning wins over fourth-seeded St. Lawrence and second-seeded RIT in the postseason.
• Grace Ardito was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player after averaging 23.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.5 assists in the two tournament wins
• The Garnet Chargers have won 10 straight games and are one of 15 teams to enter the NCAA Tournament riding a streak of at least 10 wins in a row. 
• Union has proven to be a strong team coming out of the locker room after halftime, outscoring its opponents by 161 points in the third period of the team's 27 games this season. 

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 gosmithbears.com and follow us on Facebook, and  Instagram.