TCNJ hoping home court pays off in NCAA Division III tourney
The College of New Jersey and Hilbert College are from two very different regions of the country and yet it has been a very similar season for both teams.
Both teams enter the Division III NCAA Tournament with a potential ‘Cinderella’ tag and at the same time they are two teams that have spent the 2017-18 campaign proving everyone wrong.
The two square off in the first round 7 p.m. Friday night on the Lions’ floor. The first game feature Rochester Institute of Technology (21-6) against University of New England (23-5) at 5 p.m. in Packer Hall.
This is the Lions’ first appearance in the NCAA’s since the 2008-09 season when they reached the Final Four before falling in the national semifinal game. This will be Hilbert’s first ever tourney appearance.
The winners advance to the second round on Saturday at 5 p.m. in Ewing and the survivor heads to the sectional finals on March 9 and 10.
Both TCNJ’s Chessie Jackson and Hilbert’s Amy Senefelder are first year coaches, and both were named the Coach of the Year by their respective conferences.
Jackson was the CoCoach of the Year in the New Jersey Athletic Conference and Senefelder got the nod in the Allegheny Mountain Conference.
There are more similarities
• Both teams played to a 21-6 mark this season
• Hilbert has won 14-of15 and the Lions have won 10-of-12
• TCNJ was picked sixth in the conference and finished second. The Hawks were picked seventh and finished first.
• Both teams rely on strong senior leadership and a very talented group of underclassmen.
“We are preparing for Hilbert the way we have prepared for every other opponent this season,” said Jackson. “I have high hopes that our group will rise to the challenge.”
The Lions, who fell short in the NJAC title game to Montclair State, earned the at-large bid with quite an impressive body of work during the regular season.
Jen Byrne, an All-NJAC first team selection, leads TCNJ with 17.8 points and Shannon Devitt, the NJAC Rookie of the Year, gets 10 points and 9.6 rebounds per game, Kate O’Leary has 60 from beyond the arc, Charlotte Schum has 114 assists, Nikki Schott gets 7.6 points and lately Samantha Famulare has been a major contributor off the bench.
Packer Hall has been great to the Lions as they are 12-0 at home this seasons, the first time that has happened since the Final Four season of 2008-09.
“The perfect way to cap off this season would be with a national championship,” said Jackson. “But, hosting the first and second round of the NCAA’s with an at-large bid is pretty amazing. Our team is grateful and practicing with a ton on intention.”
When Jackson was a player at Williams, the Ephs reached the NCAA twice, including a trip to the Sweet Sixteen, and she is excited to see her Lions experience the opportunity.
“I am so excited for the players,” said Jackson. “It was the most special and memorable part of my college career. I am eager to watch this team experience the big dance and everything that comes with it. They have truly earned this opportunity and I want them to soak it all in and enjoy every second. If we do that and take advantage of hosting, we can go far.”
Hilbert, which is located in Hamburg, N.Y., will certainly have something to say about that.
It is led by Kate Ebert, the Hawks all-time leader in points, assists and steals and this season the AllAMCC first team selection averages 15.3 points a game. Emily Gawlak and Ashley Repine are a pair of sophomores that have contributed. Gawlak averages 12.3 points a game and Repine, is tough inside with 8.7 rebounds a game.