WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SELECTED TO NCAA TOURNAMENT FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT YEAR

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (March 5, 2007) - For the fourth straight year, the American International College women's basketball team has been selected to the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship.  The Yellow Jackets, who will be making their ninth appearance overall and seventh in the past eight seasons, will enter the Northeast Regional, hosted by Southern Connecticut State University, as the No. 6 seed with a 21-7 record, and will face a familiar foe in third-seeded Pace (23-8) when the tourney kicks off Friday afternoon.  Game time is slated for 3:00.

In other first round games on Friday, second-seeded Bentley (21-7) returns from a one-year absence from the field to play No. 7 Stonehill (22-8) at 1:00.  Top-seeded SCSU (28-2) will face crosstown rival and East Coast Conference champion No. 8 New Haven (25-5) at 6:00, while No. 4 seed Saint Rose (21-8) squares off with the No. 5 seed, Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference champion Holy Family (28-2) in the nightcap at 8:00.

Should AIC advance, it would face the winner of the Bentley/Stonehill game in one semifinal at 5:00 on Saturday, while the Southern/New Haven winner would face the Holy Family/St. Rose winner in the second semifinal at 7:30.  Monday's regional championship game is slated for a 7:00 start, with the winner advancing to the Elite Eight in Kearney, Nebraska.

AIC and Pace have become quite familiar with each other in recent weeks, as Friday's meeting will mark the third time in 18 days the Yellow Jackets and Setters will have played each other.  Pace took a 69-41 win over AIC in the regular season finale February 20, then posted a 67-56 Northeast-10 quarterfinal triumph in Springfield one week later.  Pace is 3-0 against AIC this season, as the Setters posted an early-season 45-41 win in Springfield.

The Yellow Jackets, the defending Northeast Region champions, have compiled a 12-8 (.600) all-time mark in NCAA Tournament play.  Last season, AIC advanced to the national championship game where it was edged by Grand Valley State 58-52 after Elite Eight victories over Emporia State (86-79) and Saint Cloud State (70-58).  AIC has won at least one game in seven of its eight NCAA Tournament appearances and advanced to the Northeast semifinals in each of the two seasons prior to last season.

NCAA Division II Women's Basketball Championship

Northeast Regional Schedule - All Games Hosted by Southern Connecticut State University

Friday, March 9, Quarterfinals

No. 7 Stonehill (22-8) vs. No. 2 Bentley (21-7) - 1:00 pm

No. 6 American International (21-7) vs. No. 3 Pace (23-8) 3:00 pm

No. 8 New Haven (25-5) at No. 1 Southern Connecticut (28-2) - 6:00 pm

No. 5 Holy Family (28-2) vs. No. 4 Saint Rose (21-8) - 8:00 pm

Saturday, March 10, Semifinals

STO/BEN winner vs. AIC/PAC winner - 5:00

UNH/SCS winner vs. HFU/STR winner - 7:30

Monday, March 12, Championship

Semifinal Winners - 7:00 pm