GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah women's basketball team was selected to host the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament after the Falcons claimed the MAC Commonwealth Championship last weekend. The Falcons will welcome three teams to Grantham for this weekend's First and Second Round games. The Bridgewater State Bears, Greensboro Pride, and NYU Violets will head to south-central Pennsylvania this weekend with the Falcons taking on Bridgewater State in the First Round on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. Greensboro and NYU will play in the other First Round game on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
 
Friday's winners will meet on Saturday evening at 7:00 p.m. with a trip to the Sweet 16 on the line. All games this weekend will be played on Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena.
 
Fans should note that since this is an NCAA Tournament event, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: General Admission - $10, Senior Citizens - $7, Students and Children - $7. Additionally, thanks to a generous donor, all Messiah students will be admitted free of charge to any games this weekend.
 
See below for a quick preview of the four team competing in the first two rounds at Messiah this weekend.
 

No. 9 Messiah University Falcons

 
Making their 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament, the Messiah Falcons earned hosting duties after winning the MAC Commonwealth for the seventh-straight season with a 60-37 victory over the Alvernia Golden Wolves. After starting the season 3-2, Messiah has rattled off 22-straight victories to climb all the way to No. 9 in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Rankings.
 
While the Falcons have not shown the offensive fire power that the other three teams in Grantham this weekend possess, Messiah is stingy on the defensive end. They are allowing just 46.9 points per game the seventh lowest mark in the country this season. Offensively, Messiah has shot the ball at a 41.9 rate from the field, good for 47th in the country, but is averaging 59.0 points per game, the 276th in the land.
 
Players to Watch
    #25 Reese Harden – Guard – 13.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg, 77 assists, 44 steals, 12 blocks, First Team All-MAC Commonwealth
    #34 Megan Zimmerman – Forward – 11.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 18 assists, 22 steals, 12 blocks, Second Team All-MAC Commonwealth
    #13 Morgan Adams – 11.0 ppg, 7.7 rpg, 48 assists, 28 steals, 31 blocks, Second Team All-MAC Commonwealth

   
Bridgewater State used a massive second-half to win the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Championship over Westfield State. The Bears trailed 39-20 at the half, but went on for the 64-59 victory to the NCAA Tournament for the 11th time in program history. This year's appearance will be their first since 2015.
 
The Bears are scoring at the 14th-highest mark in the country with a 76.6 per game average. While their defense is allowing 62.2 points per game, they are forcing north of 22 turnovers per game (32nd in the country). Since the calendar turned to 2023, the Bears are 13-2 and are playing some of their best basketball of the season.
 
Players to Watch
    #3 Kylie Grassi – Forward – 17.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 75 assists, 57 steals, 18 blocks, MASCAC Player of the Year, First Team All-MASCAC
    #10 Sophia Gaucher – Forward – 8.7 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 54 assists, 25 steals, 9 blocks, MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-MASCAC
    #0 Caroline Tripp – Guard – 8.5 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 114 assists, 48 steals, 12 blocks, Second Team All-MASCAC
 
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Bears have met one other time in women's basketball. That meeting came in recent history, with the Falcons defeating Bridgewater State 76-58 just a season ago on Dec. 20, 2021. The two teams met over Christmas break in St. Petersburg, Fla. with Leah Springer leading the Falcons with 20 points and 11 rebounds. Megan Zimmerman finished the game with a double-double as well, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 boards in 21 minutes.
   
The NYU Violets are making their 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship for the second-straight season. The Violets hold a 22-2 overall record and went 12-2 in the brutal UAA this season. They are ranked No. 7 in the country in the most recent Coaches Poll. No stranger to the NCAA Tournament, NYU holds a 34-23 overall record in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Final Four on three occasions, including their National Championship winning season of 1997.
 
This year's team features a high-scoring offense that does not like to turn the ball over. On the season, NYU is averaging 77.4. points per game, the 10th highest in the country this season. Their defense has been strong too, allowing just 54 points per game for a 23.4 scoring margin, eighth in the land. The Violets protect the ball, averaging just 7.83 turnovers per game and holding the best assist-to-turnover ratio in the country at 1.37.
 
Players to Watch
    #35 Natalie Bruns – Forward – 14.8 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 70 assists, 46 steals, 69 blocks, UAA Player of the Year, First Team All-UAA
    #4 Belle Pellecchia – Guard – 13.1 ppg, 6.1, rpg, 108 assists, 65 steals, 7 blocks, UAA Defensive Player of the Year, Second Team All-UAA
    #23 Jenny Walker – Forward  - 12.6 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 20 assists, 19 steals, 29 blocks, Second Team All-UAA

History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Violets have never met in women's basketball.
   
The Pride are coming off a 26-2 season, while finishing undefeated in the USA South with a record of 18-0. Greensboro is currently riding a 23-game winning streak. The USA South Tournament Championship win was the seventh conference championship in program history. Greensboro has gone 4-7 in their previous seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament and make their first appearance since the 2014-2015 season.
 
The Pride features a run and gun offense that is averaging 86.4 points per game, the fourth-most in the country. They can fill it up with the ninth-highest shooting percentage in the country at 45.3. On the flip side, they have played in a number of high scoring games with their opponents scoring at a 65.9 clip, ranking them the 304th best scoring defense in the country. The result has been high-scoring, fun games in Greensboro.
 
Players to Watch
    #4 Audrey Jennings – Guard – 17.4 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 52 assists, 52 steals, 6 blocks, USA South Player of the Year, First Team All-USA South
    #23 Ta'Keria Legette – Guard – 14.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 103 assists, 102 steals, 8 blocks, USA South Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-USA South
    #2 Lauren Livingston – Guard – 11.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 167 assists, 77 steals, 2 blocks, Second Team All-USA South

History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Pride have never met in women's basketball.

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