The ninth-ranked Washington University women’s basketball team kicks off the Division III NCAA Tournament today at 7 p.m. at the fieldhouse against their unseeded opponent, the Webster University Gorloks.
The second-seeded Bears (21-4, 11-3 UAA) enter their 16th consecutive NCAA Tournament with the highest hopes of continuing their franchise success in the tourney. The University ranks first in Division III Tournament history, with four national championships (1998-2001) and six Final Four appearances, second all-time in wins (34), third in winning percentage (.708) and fourth in overall appearances (17).
The Gorloks (21-6) handed the Red and Green one of their four losses of the season with a 78-59 upset on Dec. 8. The Bears are coming off a five-game winning streak and hope to keep the ball rolling come tonight.
A press conference will be held in the conference rooms in the fieldhouse ten minutes after the game. Both winning and losing teams will field questions from members of the press, including reporters from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The event will be mediated by Chris Mitchell, sports information director for the University.
Led by the superb play of key seniors, the Bears have had a stellar regular season, and, with the close of the regular season, their performance was recognized by the University Athletic Association (UAA). Every player of the starting five was named to the All-UAA Team.
Besides earning first-team accolades, senior Kelly Manning garnered Player of the Year honors. Manning is the Bears’ leader in scoring average (15.5 points per game), blocked shots (42), free-throw percentage (.929), three-pointers made (53), field goals made (133) and minutes per game (27.5). She also led the UAA in free-throw percentage and was second in scoring average, three-point field goal percentage and blocked shots.
Thrice a first-team all-UAA selection, Manning is the Bears’ career leader in free-throw percentage (.847) and ranks fourth in blocked shots (98), fifth in three-pointers made (117), sixth in three-point field goal percentage (.358) and ninth in scoring (990).
Senior Hallie Hutchens joined Manning as the University’s other first-team honoree. Hutchens ranks second on the team, averaging 12.9 points per game, and is first with 9.5 rebounds per game. Hutchens is a four-time all-conference recipient, including two first-team nods.
Junior Danielle Beehler garnered second-team all-Association honors, averaging 10.4 points and 5.4 rebounds per game during the regular season, while shooting .523 from the field.
Senior Leslie Berger and junior Alicia Herald were named to the honorable-mention team. Berger has amassed 125 assists throughout the season, a UAA-leading 5.0-per-game average. In last weekend’s game against Chicago, Berger dished out a UAA-record 13 assists without committing a turnover. Herald is first in the UAA in field-goal shooting (.650). She is also on pace to shatter the Bears’ single-season record in that category.
The coaching staff was also honored by the UAA for its coaching throughout the season. Head Coach Nancy Fahey and her staff were honored as the UAA’s Coaching Staff of the Year, having received the honor a league-record 13 times.
If the Bears defeat the Golaks tonight, they will travel to Decatur, Ill., on Saturday to face number-one-seeded Millikin University.