Teams: Women's Basketball: Press Releases

TUFTS EARNS SECOND STRAIGHT NCAA BERTH, PLAYS AT MORAVIAN ON FRIDAY

Junior Casey Sullivan and the rest of the Jumbos play at Moravian in the NCAA's on Friday

MEDFORD -- The Tufts University women's basketball team, which made a run to the "Elite Eight" in its first NCAA Tournament appearance last season, has earned its second consecutive NCAA berth for the 2008-09 season. Announced today, the Jumbos were awarded a Pool C (at-large) invitation into the tournament as part of a 63-team field that begins play later this week.

Tufts (21-4) will travel to Bethlehem, Pennsylvania for its first-round game at and against Moravian College (21-6) on Friday night (Mar. 6). Game time is 7:00 pm. The College of New Jersey (23-4) and DeSales University (23-4) will meet in the other first-round game at Moravian on Friday at 5:00 pm. The winners of the first round games will meet in the second round on Saturday (Mar. 7).

Coach Carla Berube's Jumbos finished third in the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) this season, behind NCAA Tournament first-round hosts Bowdoin and Amherst. Tufts' four losses are against Amherst (twice), NCAA qualifier Brandeis and Colby. Along with a conference win at Bowdoin, Tufts had victories over other NCAA qualifiers Eastern Connecticut and Emmanuel.

Last season, the Jumbos ran off wins against Wheaton (Mass.), Mount St. Mary and Mary Washington in the NCAA's before losing at Messiah in the quarterfinals.

Moravian will be making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament and second in the last four years. The Greyhounds are 7-9 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, playing for the national championship in 1991-92 and reaching the "Sweet 16" in 1990-91 and 1992-93.

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►2009 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Bracket