PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Division II NCAA basketball tournaments begin this week on both the men’s and women’s sides, and each tourney features a pair of local squads.
The women’s tourney begins Friday and includes Thomas Jefferson and West Chester universities.
Thomas Jefferson has been one of the nation’s top teams all season. The Rams are the champions of the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference. They will take on Southern New Hampshire University in the first round in Waltham, Massachusetts at 7:30 p.m.
The team is 30-1, riding a 21-game winning streak and out-scoring their opponents by some 20 points a game on average this season. Head coach Tom Shirley said one of the reasons his squad is so good is chemistry.
“No. 2, it’s skill sets, and No. 3, they love to play. So if you look at our scoring averages, we don't have anybody getting 24, 25 [points] a game, we have 15, 14, 11, 10. So I think that’s just their willingness to play the game the right way and share the ball for the best open shot.”
The Rams have four 1,000-point scorers in their starting lineup: seniors Morgan Robinson and Haley Meinel and juniors Sam Yencha and Cassie Murphy. Last season, Jefferson advanced to the Sweet 16 of the tournament — as did West Chester, and the Golden Rams are in the field again thanks to a 24-6 record.
West Chester will open against Fairmont State University in Fairmont, West Virginia at 5 p.m. Friday. West Chester won 16 straight games before falling in the semifinals of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference to top-seed Gannon.
“I think on defense when we’re locked in, communicating and defending the three-point line, I think that we’re at our best,” said West Chester head coach Kiera Wooden. “So if we can defend, if we can rebound, and then if we can execute on offense, then I think we’re a scary team.”
Emily McAteer leads the Golden Rams in scoring at 17.9 points per game, and Leah Johnson adds 14.9 a night. Johnson also has written her name all over the WCU record book this season, setting program career marks for points (1,753) and assists (612).
The men’s first round is on Friday and Saturday. Lincoln University will take on the Atlantic Region’s top-seed Gannon in the first round in Erie at 5 p.m. Lincoln won the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
The 17-13 Lions actually played Gannon during the regular season, giving the Golden Knights all they could handle before falling 97-93. Lincoln head coach Jason Armstrong said his team is ready for the rematch.
“We are very confident in playing them and we feel good — we feel very good,” he said. “I’m not sure how they feel, but I know how we feel. We feel very confident going into this game and understanding what needs to happen for us to win.”
Lincoln is very balanced offensively, with seven players averaging at least 7.5 points a game and junior guard Bakir Cleveland pacing the group with a scoring average of 13.1.
The Thomas Jefferson University men’s basketball team won the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference, and the Rams will match up with Daeman University in the first round Saturday night in Colchester, Vermont, starting at 7:30 p.m. The Rams were up and down early in the season, but they have hit their stride down the stretch and will bring an 11-game winning streak into the tournament.
Jefferson’s second-year head coach Jimmy Reilly said his team’s top strength is sharing the ball.
“When we come down on offense, we’re able to get pretty much a good shot every trip down and everybody’s making the extra pass,” he said. “They’re sliding up and down on the drive and kicks. The way we move the basketball is definitely a strength of ours.”
And that movement has led the Rams to average 83.9 points a game and shoot 51% from the field. Junior guard Erik Timko, the CACC Player of the Year, leads the team in scoring at 20 points a game.
The Division II tournaments have quick turnarounds. The women’s winners on Friday will play their second-round games on Saturday, and the same goes for first-round men’s winners.
Women’s NCAA Division II Tournament
Thomas Jefferson University vs. Southern New Hampshire University
Waltham, Massachusetts
March 15, 7:30 p.m.
West Chester University vs. Fairmont State University
Fairmont, West Virginia
March 15, 5 p.m.
Men’s NCAA Division II Tournament
Lincoln University vs. Gannon University
Erie, Pennsylvania
March 15, 5 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson University vs. Daeman University
Colchester, Vermont
March 16, 7:30 p.m.