No. 4 seed Lock Haven faces No. 5 seed Cal (Pa.) in NCAA Tournament Atlantic Region Opening Round
By: Owen Lukens, LHU Athletic Communication
INDIANAPOLIS – The No. 4 seed Lock Haven women’s basketball team is set to make its fourth appearance in the NCAA DII Tournament on Friday (March 15) at noon when the Bald Eagles take on fifth seed California (Pa.) in the Atlantic Regional Quarterfinals, hosted by Gannon University.
NCAA FIRST ROUND / ATLANTIC REGION QUARTERFINAL
Opponent: #5 California (Pa.)
Date: Friday, March 15
Location: Gannon University
Time: 12:00 p.m.
Venue: Hagerty Family Events Center
NEED TO KNOW
Game Times, Ticket Pre-Sale Announced For Atlantic Regional
Tournament Page (NCAA.com)
Tournament Page (Gannonsports.com)
COVERAGE
First Round live game link (live video and live stats, archived video post-game)
Interactive bracket (updated with schedules, scores, and teams advancing)
Championships Pass link (all games available to stream in one location)
Updating news and information from the NCAA Digital content team
The NCAA has released an official “NCAA Championships Pass” app with every game streaming live on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and Google TV – fans can search “NCAA Championships Pass” on those platforms, download the app, and log in with their NCAA Championships Pass Hudl account to watch on their TV’s.
PRE-SALE TICKET POLICY ANNOUNCED (From gannonsports.com)
Gannon has announced the ticket policy for the upcoming Atlantic Regional. Tickets will go on sale for Gannon season tickets holders on Wednesday, March 13 at a time to be announced. Tickets for the general public will be on sale on Thursday, March 14. The gates will then open on Friday, March 15 at 10:30 a.m. Please watch for an upcoming announcement on the time and location for the pre-sale.
WOMEN’S ATLANTIC REGIONAL QUARTERFINALS
Friday, March 15
Game 1 – No. 4 Lock Haven (28-3) vs. No. 5 California (Pa.) (23-8) – 12 noon
Game 2 – No. 1 GANNON (32-2) vs. No. 8 West Virginia State (21-10) – 2:30 p.m.
SEASON SERIES VS. #5 CAL (PA.)
At Cal (12/19/23): W, 69-58
PSAC Semifinal at Lock Haven (3/9/24): W, 54-51
Lock Haven is 2-0 against the Vulcans this season, after winning at Cal, 69-58 (Dec. 19) and at home vs. the Vulcans in the semifinal of the PSAC Championship Tournament (Sunday, March 9).
With the victory, Lock Haven earned a berth to the PSAC Championship game.
Despite the recent success for the Bald Eagles, Cal is dominating the all-time series and holds a 32-4 record dating back to 2000.
No. 4 SEED BALD EAGLES BY THE NUMBERS
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
Overall Record: 28-3
PSAC: 21-1
Home Record: 15-1
Away Record: 12-1
Neutral Site Record: 1-1
Streak: L1
Head Coach: Jennifer Smith | 16th Season | Millersville ’02
NATIONAL RANKING
The Bald Eagles earned a national ranking in both major polls for the first time in a single-season in program history.
The Haven currently sits at No. 23 in the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and No. 21 in the NCAA DII College Sports Communicators (D2CSC) polls.
No. 5 SEED VULCANS BY THE NUMBERS
Roster: Link
Stats: Link
Overall Record: 23-8
PSAC: 16-6
Home Record: 14-3
Away Record: 9-5
Neutral Site Record: 0-0
Streak: L1
Head Coach: Jess Strom | 12th Season | Penn State ’05
The Vulcans will be making a ninth-straight, and 20th overall, appearance in the NCAA Tournament.
TEAM COMPARISON
TICKET PUNCHED
The dream season will continue for Lock Haven women’s basketball team as the Bald Eagles hit another historic milestone with tonight’s (March 10) selection into the 2024 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament field.
The No. 4 ranked team in the Atlantic Region, Lock Haven, will face California (Pa.) in a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (Pa.) semifinal rematch on Friday (March 15). Game time to be determined. Visit GoLHU.com for updates.
Gannon earned hosting rights after winning the 2023-24 PSAC Championship at Lock Haven on Sunday.
There was little doubt in the selection after The Haven secured a fourth-place ranking in the NCAA DII Atlantic Region, thanks to a 28-3 overall record and a PSAC Championship game appearance.
It’s just the fourth time in school history where The Haven women have been selected for the NCAA Championship field and first trip since 1991.
Visit GoLHU.com in the coming days for much more information regarding the 2024 NCAA DII Women’s Basketball Championship.
PSAC MAJOR AWARDS & ALL-CONFERENCE
Head Coach Jennifer Smith, Alana Robinson and Rhlyn Rouse brought home major awards and three Bald Eagles were named to the PSAC All-Eastern Division Teams.
The Bald Eagles claimed three of the four PSAC East major awards as Smith won her first Coach of the Year honor, Robinson brought home Defensive Player of the Year and Rouse was named Freshman of the Year.
Joining Robinson on the All-Conference First Team was sophomore guard Jenadia Jordan while Rouse landed on the Second Team as a forward.
Long overdue, Smith earns her first PSAC East Coach of the Year honor, during the same season she set the program’s all-time coaching wins record.
To read more on Smith, Robinson, Rouse and Jordan, click here.
