2006 Women's Basketball Championship Field Set

Bates Gets Help From Rival Bowdoin to Secure Top Seed

HADLEY, Mass. - The top seed was up for grabs on the final day of the regular season in the NESCAC. Bates did what it needed to do on Saturday afternoon with a win over Trinity, 76-46, and with a little help from intrastate rival Bowdoin, which was also victorious at Williams Saturday, 70-60, the Bobcats were able to secure the number-one seed in the 2006 NESCAC Women’s Basketball Championship for the first time. Bates, along with the remaining top four teams in the eight-team field, will host a rivalry-filled quarterfinal round on Saturday, Feb. 18.

After a rocky start to the 2005-06 season, Bates (17-7, 8-1 NESCAC) has put together a solid showing during the second half of the season, going 13-2 since the beginning of the new year. The Bobcats finished tied atop the NESCAC standings with the Polar Bears, however Bates holds the head-to-head tiebreaker over Bowdoin after winning the conference meeting between the two teams on Friday, Jan. 13, 57-51. The Bobcats will host another Maine institution on February 18, eight-seed Colby (9-14, 2-7 NESCAC). The Mules made their way into the playoffs thanks to a 60-38 victory at Middlebury on Saturday. While Colby and Middlebury both tied in the NESCAC standings with a 2-7 conference record, the win by Colby over Middlebury gave the Mules the advantage. Bates and Colby have never met in the NESCAC tournament, however Bates won both meetings between the two squads this season, 62-52 in Waterville on January 4 and 61-37 in the conference meeting in Lewiston on January 14.

Second-seeded Bowdoin (20-2, 8-1 NESCAC) built its winning streak to nine games over the weekend with victories over Middlebury Friday evening (59-48) and Williams Saturday afternoon (70-60). The Polar Bears, the only team to have ever won the NESCAC Championship since its inception in 2001, will have a tune-up match at Maine Maritime on Thursday, Feb. 16, before they host seventh-seed Tufts (10-12, 3-6 NESCAC) next Saturday. The Jumbos got a 62-41 win Saturday afternoon over Amherst to keep their playoff hopes alive. In the lone meeting between the two teams this season, Bowdoin handed Tufts a 73-56 decision in Medford, Mass. on January 14. This will be the first meeting between these two teams in NESCAC tournament action.

Two other rivals finished tied among the top four teams in the league. Wesleyan (16-6, 7-2 NESCAC) and Williams (20-4, 7-2 NESCAC) both finished tied for third in the NESCAC standings, but Wesleyan earned the third-seed in this year’s tournament field thanks to a 70-59 overtime win over Williams in conference action on January 13. The Cardinals guest next Saturday won’t have to travel far to make it to the game, as Wesleyan will host sixth-seeded Trinity (8-14, 3-6 NESCAC). The Bantams locked up the six spot on Friday evening after defeating Tufts 61-56. The battle of the birds went the way of the Cardinals on January 21, a 65-44 win for Wesleyan at Trinity. Wesleyan, which has never faced Trinity in the NESCAC tournament, is hosting a quarterfinal game for the fourth year in a row.

Williams came up short in its bid for its first-ever number-one seed for the NESCAC tournament Saturday afternoon, but it shouldn’t be hard for the Ephs to get ready for their quarterfinal opponent. Williams will play host to fifth-seeded Amherst (9-14, 4-5 NESCAC) next Saturday, the third time this season that the two teams will meet. The Ephs took both meetings this season, a 54-49 non-conference win in Amherst on January 7 and a 77-63 victory in Williamstown on February 3. It will be the first time that these two rivals will meet in the NESCAC tournament.

2006 NESCAC WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, Feb. 18 at Higher Seeds
No. 8 Colby at No. 1 Bates - 2:00 p.m.
No. 7 Tufts at No. 2 Bowdoin - 2:00 p.m.
No. 6 Trinity at No. 3 Wesleyan - 3:00 p.m.
No. 5 Amherst at No. 4 Williams - 3:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, Feb. 25 at Highest Remaining Seed
Highest remaining seed vs. Lowest remaining seed - 2:00 p.m.
Remaining first round winners - 4:00 p.m.

Championship - Sunday, Feb. 26
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.