Bates College’s Davina Kabantu takes the ball to the hoop during a game against UMaine-Farmington in Lewiston in November. Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
The Bates College women’s basketball team not only earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Division III tournament, it was also announced Monday that Bobcats will host the first two rounds Friday and Saturday at Alumni Gymnasium on the school’s Lewiston campus.
The Bobcats (22-5), who lost to Bowdoin in Sunday’s NESCAC championship game, will open the NCAA tournament against Brooklyn College on Friday at 6:30 p.m. Prior to that, Springfield and Widener will face off at 4 p.m.
The winners of those two games will then meet Saturday at 6:30 p.m.
According to a news release from Bates athletic department, the Bobcats, based on their positioning in the bracket, are one of the top four seeds in the tournament.
This is the first time since 2005 that Bates has hosted NCAA tournament games. It is the Bobcats’ second tournament appearance in three seasons. The 2021-22 team, which won the NESCAC tournament for the first time in school history, won its first-round game in Brooklyn, New York, against Roger Williams in overtime before falling to New York University in the second round.
Three other Maine teams earned spots in the Division III tournament.
Bowdoin (25-2) received an automatic bid as the NESCAC champion. The Polar Bears also will host first- and second-round games. They will host Western New England on Friday night.
Maine Maritime will open the tournament against Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. The Mariners won the Northeast Athletic Conference title with a title-game win over Husson.
St. Joseph’s College, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference champion, is in the tournament for the second straight year. The Monks are travelling to Providence, Rhode Island, to face Rhode Island College on Friday.
The Husson men’s basketball team earned an automatic bid to the Division III tournament. The NAC champion Eagles will match up against New York University in Friday in New York.
CMCC TEAMS IN CONFERENCE SEMIFINALS
Central Maine Community College’s men’s and women’s basketball teams will vie for Yankee Small College Conference championships Saturday and Sunday in Concord, New Hampshire.
The women’s team earned the No. 1 seed, and the Mustangs (25-1, 14-0 YSCC) have been off since wrapping up an undefeated conference season on Feb. 17. They will face No. 4 Vermont State University Randolph (11-10, 7-7) on Saturday at 6:45 p.m.
The winner advances to face either second-seeded UMaine-Augusta (20-5, 12-2) or No. 3 Southern Maine Community College (20-7, 10-4) on Sunday.
The Central Maine CC women have won the past six tournament titles.
The CMCC men’s team, the sixth seed, stayed alive in the YSCC tournament by bouncing third-seeded Vermont State Randolph 78-68 on Sunday in Randolph, Vermont. Cam Pollock led the Mustangs with 20 points off the bench.
The Mustangs (13-13, 7-7 YSCC) will face No. 2 Southern Maine CC (21-6, 11-3) in the semifinals Saturday at noon in Concord, New Hampshire.
NHTI (18-4, 12-2), the top seed and host of the tournament, faces fourth seed Great Bay Community College (18-7, 8-6) at 2 p.m.
The winners of both games will match up Sunday.
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