INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – The NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Committee has announced the field of 64 teams which will compete in the 2024 NCAA Championship and UMass Dartmouth has been matched up against New Jersey City University in the opening round, hosted by Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine.
It marks the first-ever match-up between the two programs. Game time will be 5pm on Friday, March 1 on the campus of Bowdoin College. There will be two games played in Brunswick on Friday, the other game featuring Western New England University and the host Polar Bears at 7:30pm.
The Corsairs, who earned an At-Large bid after finishing second in the Little East Conference with a 23-4 overall record, are making their second-ever trip in program history to the NCAA Tournament. The Corsairs' previous appearance came in the 2016-17 season, where they advanced to the Elite 8 round before losing to top-seeded Amherst. Meanwhile, New Jersey City looks forward to their second-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, having previously gone in 2022.
Led by 11th-year head coach Matt Ducharme, the Corsairs went 14-2 in Little East play – which earned them the second-seed in the LEC Tournament. The Corsairs fell to the third-ranked team in the country, Rhode Island College, in the LEC Championship Game.
The Corsairs – who have now won 18 of their last 20 contests – went on to host Southern Maine in the Semifinals on February 22nd, posting an 84-67 win to set up a rematch against the top-seeded Anchorwomen. It was a battle that saw Rhode Island College post a 67-52 win, despite a game-high 23 points from graduate forward
Carly Whiteside.
UMass Dartmouth has continued to put forth a strong effort across the board and ranks among the Little East's best in a number of categories, including first in total offense (73.0 ppg), along with first overall in three-point field goal percentage (.322). They also rank second in overall field goal percentage (.418) and in combined team rebounding (43.0).
Individually, the Corsairs are led by Whiteside, who averages a team-best 15.5 points per game. In 26 games played, Whiteside is leading the team with 8.0 rebounds per game and is shooting .551 from the field for the season – a mark that tops the Little East Conference. The Barnstable, Massachusetts native also leads the team in three-point shooting percentage (.383) and blocked shots (28).
Senior guard
Teja Andrews ranks second on the team in scoring with 13.0 points per game and in rebounding with 4.9 boards per game. Andrews is also the team's second-most efficient scorer, shooting .511 from the field. The Plymouth, Massachusetts native has been one of the Corsairs' strongest defenders and leads the team with 2.7 steals per game.
Additionally, senior point guard
Kaylin Zalewski averages 10.2 points per game on 23.5 minutes per game. Zalewski is second on the team in steals and has made the second-most three-point field goals on the squad this season. Zalewski had a huge showing in the Little East Conference Tournament Semifinal against Southern Maine, where she posted a career-high 30 points with seven rebounds, going 12 for 20 for the field (60.0%) and took away five steals.
New Jersey City earned its ticket into the NCAA Tournament on Friday with a 65-42 win over The College of New Jersey in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship. It marked the third conference title in four years for the Gothic Knights, backed by senior Damaris Rodriguez's game-high 26 points.
Under the direction of fifth-year head coach Pat Devaney Sr. – New Jersey City enters the NCAA Tournament with a 19-8 overall record. The Gothic Knights went 14-4 in NJAC action, led by the now two-time NJAC Player of the Year in Rodriguez, who averages a conference-best 19.9 points per game. Rodriguez is also the conference leader in assists per game (5.6) and assist/turnover ratio (1.9).
As a team, the Gothic Knights lead the NJAC in a number of categories, including rebounds per game (44.6), steals per game (10.48) and turnover margin (19.8).
The winner of Friday's First Round game will advance to Saturday's Second Round, where they will face the winner of the other First Round game between Bowdoin (25-2) and the Golden Bears (22-5).
Bowdoin earned the right to host the first and second rounds of NCAA action after a dominant, 25-2 season. The Polar Bears captured their tenth NESCAC title, while their opponent, Western New England, earned their spot by winning their second Commonwealth Coast Conference Championship.
The winners of these two NCAA First Round matchups will face each other in Second Round action on Saturday, March 2 at 7pm.
