GRANTHAM, Pa. – The Messiah University women's basketball team was selected to travel to Smith College for the opening weekend of the NCAA Tournament after earning an at-large bid. Shenandoah and Maine Maritime will join the Falcons at Smith College for the opening weekend. The Falcons will face Shenandoah University on Friday, March 1 at 4:30 p.m. Smith College will face Maine Maritime at 7:00 p.m.
The winners of Friday night's games will meet on Saturday at 7:00 p.m. in the NCAA Second Round.
Fans should note that since this is an NCAA Tournament event, tickets are required for all fans. The pricing for tickets are as follows: Adults - $15, Seniors and Students - $10. Tickets are sold out for Firdya's NCAA Tournament Games: More tickets may become available on Thursday morning at 11 a.m. Fans can
click here to check Thursday morning to see if more tickets are available.
See below for a quick preview of the four teams competing in the first two rounds at Smith College.
Messiah University Falcons
22-5, 13-1 MAC Commonwealth
At-Large Bid
Team Homepage |
Schedule |
Roster |
Stats
Location: Grantham, Pa.
Coach: Mike Miller (38th season, 758-254 with the Falcons)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 23rd (31-21 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: NCAA Finalist (2001, 2008)
The Messiah University women's basketball team earned their 23rd appearance in the NCAA Tournament after a 22-5 overall record and a 13-1 record in MAC Commonwealth play during the 2023-24 season. The Falcons earned an at-large bid after falling, 68-62 to Widener University in the MAC Commonwealth Championship game. The Falcons finished the season with a 11-3 record in away/neutral games.
The Falcons this season averaged 61.7 points per game, while shooting 42.3 percent from the field. The Falcons also made 95 three-pointers on the season, shooting 28.9 percent from behind the arc. The Falcon's defense was even more impressive this season allowing only 51.2 points per game. The Falcons held opponents to 37.0 percent shooting from the field and 26.0 percent from three. The Falcon's defense also had 10.1 steals per game and caused 19.3 turnovers per game.
Players to Watch
#13
Morgan Adams – 16.8 PPG, 49.2 FG%, 7.6 REB/G, 42 steals, 39 assists, 38 blocks
#25
Reese Harden – 15.9 PPG, 45.1 FG%, 3.3 REB/G, 79 assists, 38 steals, 16 blocks
#20
Chloe Milanesi – 9.8 PPG, 42.1 FG%, 6.5 REB/G, 54 steals, 52 assists, 15 blocks
#23
Liv Monturo – 5.6 PPG, 41.7 FG%, 4.2 REB/G, 13 assists, 11 blocks, nine steals
#1
Charlotte Milanesi – 5.4 PPG, 41.5 FG%, 3.4 REB/G, 84 assists, 64 steals
#15
Sydney Hoffman – 3.5 PPG, 35.4 FG%, 2.6 REB/G, 36 assists, 24 steals
Shenandoah University Hornets
21-7, 14-4 Old Dominion Athletic Conference
At-Large Bid
Team Homepage |
Schedule |
Roster |
Stats
Location: Winchester, Va.
Coach: Melissa Smeltzer-Kraft (10th season, 131-127 with the Hornets)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 5th (0-4 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: NCAA First Round (1996, 2000, 2019, 2022)
The Shenandoah University Hornets are making their fifth NCAA Tournament appearance after a 21-7 overall record and a 14-4 record in ODAC play. The Hornets earned an at-large bid after falling in a thrilling ODAC Championship game, 89-80 in overtime, to the top-seeded Washington & Lee Generals. The Hornets finished the season with a 13-4 record in away/neutral site games.
The Hornets this season averaged 67.5 points per game, while shooting 40.1 percent from the field. The Hornets hit 146 threes on the season, with a 28.5 shooting percentage from behind the arc. The Hornets defense allowed 53.2 points per game, while out rebounding teams by an average of eight rebounds per game. The Hornets defense swarmed opposing offenses, allowing on a 31.2 field goal percentage and 27.0 percent shooting from behind the arc.
Players to Watch
#3 Terese Greene – 13.8 PPG, 41.1 FG%, 3.7 REB/G, 48 steals, 42 assists, 22 blocks
#2 Maddie Kimble – 11.6 PPG, 31.3 FG%, 4.1 REB/G, 98 assists, 30 steals
#50 Shawnise Cambell – 9.4 PPG, 57.6 FG%, 7.7 REB/G, 52 blocks, 26 steals, 20 assists
#1 Emily Williams – 7.7 PPG, 46.3 FG%, 8.1 REB/G, 70 assists, 32 steals
#13 Kayla Maxson – 7.6 PPG, 44.1 FG%, 1.6 REB/G, 19 assists, 13 steals
#22 Gabby Krystofiak – 5.4 PPG, 39.7 FG%, 3.2 REB/G, 44 assists, 23 steals, 15 blocks
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Hornets have only met once, with the Falcons winning the lone matchup that took place in 1983.
No. 14 Smith College Pioneers
25-3, 10-1 New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
NEWMAC Conference Champions
Team Homepage |
Schedule |
Roster |
Stats
Location: Northampton, Mass.
Coach: Lynn Hersey (18th season, 296-141 with the Pioneers)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 6th (10-4 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: NCAA Final Four (2023)
The Smith College Pioneers are entering their sixth NCAA Tournament in program history after 1 25-3 overall record and a 10-1 record in NEWMAC play. The Pioneers earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after a dominant, 90-59 win over Babson in the NEWMAC Championship game to give the Pioneers their fourth straight conference title. This season Smith has been dominant at home with a 14-2 record. The Pioneers enter the tournament hot with an 11-game winning streak.
The Pioneers had a dominant offense scoring 79.5 points per game, with a 50.4 field goal percentage. The Pioneers hit 230 three, with a 40.9 three-point shooting percentage. The Smith defense was also strong allowing 57.2 points per game this season with a 38.0 percent field goal percentage allowed. The Pioneers also had an average of 8.6 more rebounds per game than opponents this season and an average of 6.8 steals per game.
Players to Watch
#5 Ally Yamada – 14.8 PPG, 46.7 FG%, 86 3PT made, 1.3 REB/G, 61 assists, 26 steals
#15 Sofia Rosa – 13.9 PPG, 58.4 FG%, 7.2 REB/G, 23 assists, 16 blocks, 12 steals
#14 Jessie Ruffner – 13.3 PPG, 60.3 FG%, 9.1 REB/G, 133 assists, 29 steals
#22 Hannah Martin – 9.2 PPG, 43.8 FG%, 4.0 REB/G, 82 assists, 38 steals
#3 Selam Maher – 7.3 PPG, 46.2 FG%, 1.8 REB/G, 37 assists, 16 steals
#13 Jane Loo – 5.9 PPG, 41.6 FG%, 3.3 REB/G, 48 assists, 22 steals
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Pioneers have never met in program history.
Maine Maritime Mariners
23-4 13-0 North Atlantic Conference
NAC Conference Champions
Team Homepage |
Schedule |
Roster |
Stats
Location: Castine, Maine
Coach: Craig Dagan (23rd season, 354-187 with the Pioneers)
NCAA Tournament Appearance: 5th (0-4 Tournament Record)
Best NCAA Tournament Finish: NCAA First Round (2005, 2006, 2007, 2023)
The Maine Maritime Mariners made their fifth appearance to the NCAA Tournament in program history with a 23-4 overall record and a 13-0 record in NAC play. The Mariners earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament after a 78-62 win over SUNY Cobleskill in the NAC Championship Game. The Mariners enter the tournament on fire with a 17-game winning streak and finished the season with a 11-2 record in away games.
The Mariners offense was dominant throughout the season with 75.6 points per game and a 42.6 field goal percentage. The Mariners made 233 threes with a 33.6 shooting percentage from behind the arc. The Mariners defense allowed only 54.0 points per game and opponents shot 33.2 from the field. The Mariners have out rebounded opposing teams by an average of 11 rebounds this season. The Mariners also have averaged nine steals per game, with 17.4 turnovers caused per game.
Players to Watch
#11 Erianna Moore – 13.2 PPG, 44.9 FG%, 7.0 REB/G, 114 assists, 43 blocks, 41 steals
#23 Maria Barela – 11.1 PPG, 41.1 FG%, 6.0 REB/G, 75 assists, 33 steals
#3 Evelyn Dagan – 10.0 PPG, 41.7 FG%, 1.9 REB/G, 16 steals, 13 assists
#33 Sydney Briscoe – 8.0 PPG, 44.4 FG%, 7.0 REB/G, 32 steals, 28 assists
#20 Grace Huntwork – 6.6 PPG, 39.5 FG%, 1.7 REB/G, 17 assists, 16 steals
#1 Makenzie Monzon – 5.8 PPG, 43.1 FG%, 4.1 REB/G, 98 assists, 30 steals
History Against Messiah
The Falcons and Mariners have never met in program history.
