WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team will play in the postseason for the first time since 2015 this week, as the Judges have earned a berth in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Tournament. The Judges (12-12) earned the fourth seed in their pod and will travel to top-seeded Springfield College (18-8) for a first-round matchup on Wednesday, February 28, at 7 p.m.
The ECAC tournament, which was a regional affair the last time the Judges qualified, now covers the entire ECAC membership. The quarterfinals through the finals will be held at Washington and Jefferson College in Washington, Pennsylvania, from March 2-4.
This is the Judges' sixth all-time trip to the ECAC tournament, having won back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005 and another in 2015. This season's Judges are 12-12, going 8-2 in non-conference action and 4-10 in the University Athletic Association. Of their 12 losses, seven came at the hands of NCAA tournament teams, including both non-conference defeats, plus two more to ECAC qualifier NYU. The Judges also posted their second-ever win at NCAA qualifier Washington University. The Judges are led in scoring by a pair of sophomores in forward Hannah Nicholson of Sunderland, Vermont, and guard Katie Goncalo of Fall River, Massachusetts, who both average 9.2 points per game. Nicholson leads the team in rebounding, averaging 8.3 boards per game – fourth most in the UAA. As a team the Judges finished second in the UAA in scoring defense (59.6 ppg allowed) and rebound margin (+5.5 rpg).
This will be the second-ever meeting between Brandeis and Springfield, with the Judges defeating the Pride in 2012 in the Judges' Tip-Off Tournament. SC is led by Gracie Restituyo of Barrington, Rhode Island, who is averaging 12.1 points and 10.6 rebounds per game.
Click here for the full ECAC Division III Tournament bracket.