HADLEY, Mass. - Bowdoin College, the six-time defending NESCAC Women's Basketball Champions, will look to add to its legacy this coming weekend when the quarterfinals of the 2007 NESCAC Women's Basketball Championship kick off on Saturday, Feb. 17, at the top four seeds. Bowdoin, the number-one seed, will host a first round matchup along with Bates, Williams and Tufts, as the Jumbos finished the regular season in second place, their highest finish ever.

Top-seeded Bowdoin (23-1, 9-0 NESCAC) won the battle of the two undefeated conference teams on Friday night at home with a 60-41 victory over second-seeded Tufts, guaranteeing the Polar Bears the number-one seed in the process. The Polar Bears, the only team to ever win the NESCAC Women's Basketball crown, finished the regular season a perfect 9-0 for the fourth time in five years, and their only loss overall this season came on a buzzer-beater almost a month ago. Bowdoin, which closed out the regular season at home on Saturday with a win over NESCAC rival Bates, 78-47, will host eighth-seeded Trinity (12-11, 3-6 NESCAC) in the quarterfinal round on Feb. 17. The Bantams were also winners on the final day of the regular season, picking up a 73-71 road win at Amherst. While Trinity finished tied in the NESCAC standings with Amherst and Middlebury, the Jeffs hold the tie-breaker against the other two teams (record against top four) to earn the number-six seed, and the Panthers have the head-to-head advantage over the Bantams for the seventh seed. Bowdoin and Trinity met just a few weekends ago in Hartford with the Polar Bears eventually pulling away from the Bantams, 74-59 on Jan. 26. Saturday's meeting will be the third in five years between the two teams in the quarterfinals, with Bowdoin holding a 2-0 advantage all-time in the playoffs. The Polar Bears upended the Bantams 59-45 in the last meeting in 2005.

While Saturday's loss to Bowdoin spoiled Tufts' (16-7, 8-1 NESCAC) chance at a perfect season, the Jumbos were at least guaranteed a finish no lower than the second seed in this year's tournament, in addition to their best conference record ever. Winners of nine of the last 11 games, second-seeded Tufts will host seventh-seeded Middlebury (12-12, 3-6 NESCAC) in the quarterfinals of this year's championship. The Panthers returned to the NESCAC tournament after an absence last winter thanks to a 51-40 victory over Connecticut College to close the regular season. Tufts took the lone meeting between the two teams this year, a 60-51 decision on Feb. 2 in Medford, Mass. This will be the first meeting between the Panthers and the Jumbos in the playoffs, and of the two clubs only Middlebury has ever advanced to the semifinals, as the Panthers only trip cam during the 2002 tournament.

Third-seeded Bates (14-9, 6-3 NESCAC) cemented its place in this year's tournament on Friday night with an 87-74 win at Maine rival Colby. The Bobcats have won five of their last seven outings, with both losses coming at the hands of the top-seeded Polar Bears. Although Bates finished tied in the NESCAC standings with Williams, the Bobcats hold the head-to-head tie-breaker thanks to a 60-59 win over the Ephs on Feb. 2. Bates will host a quarterfinal game for the seventh year in a row when sixth-seeded Amherst (12-12, 3-6 NESCAC) travels to Lewiston, Maine on Saturday, Feb. 17. Only a few weeks ago, the Jeffs were in the running to secure a home game in the first round, however a four-game losing streak to close out the regular season put Amherst out of contention. The Jeffs are out to prove that the playoffs are truly the second season, and will look to build on the 65-51 win they earned over the Bobcats in the only meeting between the two teams on Jan. 13 in Amherst. There have only been two meetings in NESCAC tournament history between these two squads, and the record is even at 1-1. The last time it occurred was during the 2004 championship in the quarterfinals, when then-third-seeded Bates came away with a 62-57 win over then-sixth-seeded Amherst.

The final quarterfinal match will be a familiar one for the two teams involved, as fourth-seeded Williams (19-5, 6-3 NESCAC) will host fifth-seeded Wesleyan (14-8, 5-4 NESCAC) for the second weekend in a row. Both teams entered Saturday's regular season finale knowing that the winner would earn a home game in the quarterfinals and see the opponent the following weekend, and it was the Ephs that came away with the win in Williamstown, 71-59. It was the second meeting of the season for the two teams, as Williams also took the non-conference matchup 50-39 on Jan. 23 in Middletown, Conn. The Ephs come into this year's tournament with a hot hand, winning eight of their last 10 outings, while the Cardinals have been a bit streaky as of late in both directions, dropping four straight to end the month of January only to rebound and win three of their last four games. Amazingly, these two NESCAC rivals have never met in conference tournament play.

2007 NESCAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
Quarterfinals - Saturday, February 17 at Higher Seeds
No. 8 Trinity at No. 1 Bowdoin - 3:00 p.m.
No. 7 Middlebury at No. 2 Tufts - 3:00 p.m.
No. 6 Amherst at No. 3 Bates - 3:00 p.m.
No. 5 Wesleyan at No. 4 Williams - 4:00 p.m.

Semifinals - Saturday, Feb. 24 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. 25 at Highest Remaining Seed
Semifinal winners - 12:00 p.m.