Spring Break
Two triumphant returns
by Mike Prada and Julie Ganz
Sports | 3/4/08
Posted online at 4:37 AM EST on 3/4/08
|
Both teams secured at-large berths to the NCAA Tournament, according to the NCAA. This marks the second-straight appearance for the men's squad and the third straight berth for the women.
On the men's side, Brandeis will host first-round and second-round games for the first time since the 1957 to 1958 season. The Judges will play Lasell College Friday at 8 p.m. in the first round, with the winner of that game playing the winner of the first-round matchup between Bowdoin College and Curry College in the second round Saturday.
"The year before [the team's six seniors] came here, we had won six games. Now, we're going on back-to-back 20-win seasons and homecourt advantage for our first tournament games," captain and guard Joe Coppens '08 said.
The women's team will travel to Kean University in Union, N.J. for a first-round contest against the University of Southern Maine Friday at 6 p.m., with the winner to play either Kean or Utica College Saturday. Friday's game marks the first time in Judges history that they will play the Huskies.
"I think it's a great accomplishment, probably the best feeling," captain and guard Jaime Capra '08 said. "This year especially, we were kind of a little unsure whether or not we were going to get in, so it just makes it that much better to hear them call out 'Brandeis.'"
Lasell is the champion of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference, having defeated Emerson College 86-72 in the tournament title game last Saturday. The Judges last played them in the 2005 Tip-off Tournament championship game, and Lasell won 67-64.
"They've won a lot of games they played us a couple of years ago, and they beat us, so we know that it's going to be a good game," men's coach Brian Meehan said.
Southern Maine enters the tournament with a 25-3 record, but settled for an at-large bid after falling to Eastern Connecticut State University 65-60 in the Little East Conference tournament championship game last Saturday.
Be the first to comment on this story