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2023 #NECWBB Tournament Preview

3/5/2023

 

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2023 Northeast Conference Women’s Basketball Tournament
(all games played at home of higher seeded team)
    
Quarterfinals
Monday, March 6
    
#8 CCSU at #1 FDU, 7 pm
#7 LIU at #2 Sacred Heart, 7 pm*
#6 Saint Francis U at #3 Merrimack, 7 pm
#5 Wagner at #4 St. Francis Brooklyn, 7 pm

Watch Live: All games to air on NEC Front Row (* also airs on ESPN3 & SNY)

Semifinals
Thursday, March 9
    
Lowest Remaining Seed at Highest Remaining Seed, 7 pm
3rd Highest Remaining Seed at 2nd Highest Remaining Seed, 7 pm

Watch Live: ESPN3, SNY, NEC Front Row
    
Championship
Sunday, March 12
    
Watch Live: 12:00 pm on ESPNU, ESPN3
   
Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament

Things You Really Need To Know...

1. Since 1994, the NEC Tournament champion has received an automatic bid to the NCAA’s Big Dance. Mount St. Mary’s earned the league’s first-ever auto berth and faced Iowa in the 1994 NCAA First Round.

2. For the 16th consecutive year, the NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Game will reach a national TV audience via ESPNU.  This year’s title tilt is set for March 12 at 12:00 pm ET.

3. No current coach has won an NEC Tournament title with their respective teams.

4. FDU head coach Angelika Szumilo is the only current coach with an NEC Tournament championship to her name, as she was a player on the LIU team that won it all in 2001.

5. The No. 1 seed has won it all 21 times in 35 years.

6. The NEC Tournament format was altered in each of the previous two seasons. Due to COVID-19, the usual eight-team field was trimmed to four in 2020-21, while in 2021-22, the tournament featured a nine-team field for the first time in conference history.

7. Last March, No. 8 Sacred Heart edged No. 9 CCSU in the NEC Tournament’s first opening-round game since the 1997 playoffs.

8. Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament every year since joining the league in 1999, with the lone exception being in 2020-21, when only semifinal and finals were contested due to COVID-19.

9. Saint Francis U has the most tournament wins (49) and most NEC titles (12) of any conference team.

10. Saint Francis U has made it through to the semifinal round more often than any NEC program. The Red Flash have been amongst the tournament’s final four on 20 occasions, and proceeded to advance to the Championship Game 18 times.

11. With the NEC’s new policy in place, which permits reclassifying institutions to participate in the NEC postseason championships in years three and four of the four-year reclassification process, Merrimack becomes postseason eligible this season. Stonehill will be eligible to compete in the 2025 tournament.

12. If Merrimack was to win the NEC Tournament championship, the tournament runner-up will advance to the NCAA Tournament as the NEC’s automatic qualifier. 

13. The Warriors make their NEC Tournament debut as the third seed.

14. FDU will be making its ninth straight NEC Tournament appearance, marking the longest rally among current teams.

15. Sacred Heart’s three titles are second-most among current NEC members. 

16. St. Francis Brooklyn is the only team to post a perfect record in Championship Games, claiming the title in its lone appearance in 2015.

17. In the 28 years since the Northeast Conference discontinued the six-team bracket, the No. 1 seed has won 19 times and has only missed the final on six occasions.

18. Saint Francis U became the lowest seed ever to win the event when the No. 5 seed Red Flash went all the way in 2010. St. Francis Brooklyn later matched that feat in 2015.

19. The two lowest seeds to ever meet in the Championship Game were No. 4 Robert Morris and No. 6 Wagner back in 1991. RMU prevailed, 69-61.

20. The 2015 St. Francis Brooklyn Terriers (15-18) and 1991 RMU Colonials (13-17) are the only teams to win the tournament while finishing the season with a sub-.500 winning percentage.

21. The largest margin of victory in a tournament game (39) came in Quinnipiac’s 72-33 triumph over Saint Francis U in the 2013 Championship Game.

22. Sacred Heart and Saint Francis U became the first-ever teams to score at least 100 points in a tournament game, and they did it while facing one another in a 2014 quarterfinal tilt. SFU prevailed, 132-124, in double overtime as the two teams accounted for the second-highest scoring game in NCAA Division I history. Both teams had exceeded the 100-point mark by the end of regulation play.

23. St. Francis Brooklyn is responsible for the lone 8-over-1 upset in NEC Tournament annals. The Terriers defeated top-seeded LIU in the 2007 quarterfinal round.

24. Current Sacred Heart head coach Jessica Mannetti leads all active coaches in NEC Tournament wins (six).

25. Former Robert Morris head coach Sal Buscaglia owns a conference-record 20 tourney wins.

26. Saint Francis U’s Mary Markey (1998, 1997, 1996, 1995) and Jess Zinobile (2000, 1999, 1998, 1997) were named to the NEC All-Tournament team in each of their four years along with RMU’s Anna Niki Stamolamprou (2017, 2016, 2015, 2014).

27. Jess Zinobile, a NEC Hall of Famer, is the only three-time NEC Tournament MVP (2000, 1999, 1997) in league annals.

28. Saint Francis U alumna Jess Kovatch set the record for most points (103) in a single NEC Tournament (three games), capturing MVP honors while leading SFU to the 2018 title. Kovatch also hit a conference-record 19 three-pointers over that three-game span.

29. Robert Morris’ Chinata Nesbit, a former two-time Tournament MVP, owns the lone triple-double in tourney history (2008 QF vs. SFBK).

30. Quinnipiac’s Ashlee Kelly redefined “monster game” in 2004 when she poured in 38 points and grabbed 28 rebounds during a quarterfinal showdown with FDU. Two days after her tournament record 28-rebound performance, she hauled in 26 boards. Kelly still owns the top two spots on the tournament’s all-time single-game rebounding list.

31. Seven players have earned both Tournament MVP and Player of the Year accolades in the same season. Saint Francis U’s Jessica Kovatch did it in 2018 after Robert Morris’ Anna Niki Stamolamprou achieved the feat in 2017. Monmouth’s Linda Wilson was honored with both awards during the league’s inaugural season in 1986-87, followed by Mount St. Mary’s Susie Rowlyk in 1993-94 and Saint Francis U’s Jess Zinobile in 1999-2000. Amanda Pape of Sacred Heart was tabbed with both honors in 2005-06 and Robert Morris’ Artemis Spanou snagged both awards in 2014.

32. There is not a single player in this year’s field with an All-Tournament Team credit on her resume. 

33. FDU is the No. 1 seed in back-to-back years for the first time in program history. 

34. Of teams that have won at least one NEC Tournament championship, Wagner has suffered the longest drought. The Seahawks’ last NEC Tournament title came in 1988-89, 33 years ago.

35. FDU’s title-less drought is the second longest. The Knights’ last NEC Tournament championship came 30 years ago in 1991-92.

36. Of the six current members that have won a NEC Tournament championship, Wagner, LIU and St. Francis Brooklyn are the only teams to have just one title to its name. 

37. FDU has been a top-four NEC Tournament seed in four straight seasons under head coach Angelika Szumilo. 

38. St. Francis Brooklyn is amongst the NEC’s top-four teams for the second year in a row.

39. Central Connecticut is the only team in this year’s tournament field (with the exception of Merrimack) to have yet to win it all. 

40. Saint Francis U owns the most dominant stretch of consecutive NEC Tournament championships. The Red Flash ran the table from 1995 to 2000, winning five straight titles in that stretch. SFU nearly pulled off the feat again, winning four-in-a-row in 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04 and 2004-05.  

41. Just seven teams have captured the tournament championship in consecutive seasons. Mount St. Mary’s and Robert Morris each went back-to-back twice and Saint Francis U has strung together consecutive titles on three different occasions.

42. FDU looks to advance to the semifinals for the third time in as many seasons, which would mark the longest active streak by an NEC team.
   


Team-By-Team Capsules

#1 FDU (22-6, 14-2 NEC)

  • With a 14-2 record, the Knights own the league’s best conference winning percentage (.875) since Robert Morris went 17-1 during the 2019-20 slate (.944).
  • FDU rides a four-game winning streak into the postseason and has won nine of its past 10 contests.
  • FDU has won four-in-a-row against quarterfinal opponent CCSU after earning regular-season sweeps in each of the past two seasons.
  • This will be just the second postseason meeting between FDU and CCSU. The Blue Devils took the lone meeting in 1997-98 by way of a 64-61 decision in the quarterfinals.
  • FDU will be making its 25th overall appearance in the NEC Tournament.
  • The Knights will be making their ninth straight NEC Tournament appearance.
  • For the first time in program history, FDU is the No. 1 seed in back-to-back years.
  • FDU has earned the No. 1 seed three times (1992, 2022, 2023) and is 1-2 as the top seed. 
  • Fourth-year head coach Angelika Szumilo has piloted FDU to the semifinals in each of her first three years at the helm.
  • Szumilo has led the Knights to top-four finishes in the league standings in all four years as head coach.
  • Szumilo owns a 1-2 record in the NEC Tournament.
  • FDU is a two-time NEC Tournament Champion (1990, 1992).  
  • FDU has made eight semifinal appearances.
  • Since winning it all in 1992, the Knights have not advanced to the NEC Tournament title game despite five semifinal appearances.
  • FDU’s 30-year title-less drought is the second-longest among NEC charter members, behind Wagner, which last won the title in 1989.
  • With an 11-26 overall record in the NEC Tournament, the Knights have reached the semifinals eight times (4-4) and the finals four times (2-2). 
  • FDU is 5-18 in NEC quarterfinals and 0-2 in first-round games.
  • Szumilo is the only current NEC coach with an NEC Tournament title to her name, as she was a player on the LIU team that won it all in 2001.

  
#2 Sacred Heart (14-12, 11-7 NEC)

  • Making a seven-win improvement from the 2021-22 season, the Pioneers doubled their conference win total from that year (6) after posting a 12-4 record in NEC play. 
  • The 12 victories are the most for the Pioneers since they went 14-4 in 2018-19.
  • Sacred Heart head coach Jessica Mannetti leads all active coaches in NEC Tournament wins (6). 
  • Under Mannetti, the Pios made four straight semifinal appearances from 2016 to 2019, including a championship appearance in 2016. Sacred Heart has also qualified for the tournament in 2014, 2015, 2020 and 2022 during Mannetti’s tenure. 
  • Sacred Heart enters the postseason as a top-four seed in 2022-23 after a three-year hiatus. 
  • Prior to that, the Pios posted top four finishes in the league standings in five straight years from 2015 to 2019.
  • Sacred Heart’s No. 2 seeding is its highest since 2019, when it was also the second seed in the postseason. 
  • Sacred Heart has qualified for the NEC Tournament every year since joining the league in 1999, with the 2021 season being the only exception when only semifinals and finals were contested.
  • The Pioneers have won three NEC Tournaments in 2006, 2009 and 2012. They have made five championship game appearances.
  • Sacred Heart is 2-2 in the NEC Tournament when facing LIU. Coming up short in the 2002 and 2003 quarterfinals, the Pioneers defeated the Sharks in the semifinals in 2004 and 2006.

 
#3 Merrimack (14-15, 10-6 NEC)

  • Merrimack makes its NEC Tournament debut under third-year head coach Kelly Morrone. 
  • The Warriors were ineligible for the NEC postseason in their first three years in the conference.
  • Merrimack will become NCAA Tournament eligible next season with the completion of its mandatory four-year reclassification period.
  • The Warriors enter the postseason as one of the hottest teams in the NEC. Opening the month of February with eight straight wins — including a pair of non-conference victories — Merrimack won seven of its final eight NEC games.
  • Those wins allowed the Warriors to move from fifth to third in the NEC standings. 
  • Merrimack completed the regular-season sweep of quarterfinal opponent Saint Francis U on Feb. 11 with an 80-62 victory, marking the Warriors’ fourth straight victory at the time. 
  • The Warriors’ 10 league wins are the second-most since they joined the NEC for the 2019-20 season. That season, Merrimack went 13-5 in league play for a 20-9 overall record. 


#4 St. Francis Brooklyn (10-18, 9-7 NEC)

  • Head coach Linda Cimino seeks her first postseason win at the helm of the Terriers. She has propelled St. Francis Brooklyn into the NEC Tournament three times during her five-year tenure.
  • The Terriers qualify for the NEC Tournament for the second time in as many seasons, and the 18th time in program history.
  • The Terriers are 8-15 in the NEC Tournament, which includes a 2-1 mark in opening-round games, a 4-9 record in the quarterfinals, a 1-5 record in the semifinals and a perfect 1-0 in mark in the finals.
  • St. Francis Brooklyn locked up a No. 4 seed or better for the second consecutive seasons, and the fourth time in the past six years.
  • The Terriers seek their first postseason win since 2015, when they posted consecutive upset wins over Sacred Heart, CCSU and Robert Morris en route to winning the tournament title.
  • That season, No. 5 St. Francis Brooklyn matched the 2010 Saint Francis U team in becoming the lowest seed to win it all.
  • The 2015 title run marked St. Francis Brooklyn’s championship title game appearance.
  • St. Francis Brooklyn and Wagner will meet for just the second time in the postseason. The first — and only — NEC Tournament meeting came in the quarterfinal round in 1987, a one-point Terriers victory.


#5 Wagner (17-11, 10-8 NEC)

  • This is the Seahawks’ second appearance in the NEC Tournament under second-year head coach Terrell Coburn.
  • Wagner has appeared in the NEC Tournament in each of the past three seasons after failing to qualify in the previous three years. 
  • For the first time since 2020-21, Wagner is not hosting an NEC Tournament quarterfinal game.
  • The Seahawks search for their first NEC Championship since 1989.
  • The 33-year postseason drought is the longest among NEC charter members.
  • The Seahawks look to get back in the title game for the second time in the past three years, having last reached the final in 2021.
  • Wagner looks to make it three consecutive semifinal appearances.
  • Wagner has made five appearances in the NEC Tournament Championship Game (1989, 1991,1998, 2000, 2021)
  • Wagner has qualified for the NEC Tournament 25 times, including a program-best 18-consecutive appearances from 1987 through 2004.
  • Wagner owns a 17-22 record in the NEC Tournament, including a 1-0 record in first-round games, a 10-12 record in the quarterfinals, a 5-6 mark in the semifinals, and a 1-4 record in the finals.
  • Wagner and St. Francis Brooklyn will meet for just the second time in the postseason. The first — and only — NEC Tournament meeting came in the quarterfinal round in 1987, a one-point Terriers victory.


#6 Saint Francis U (7-21, 6-10 NEC)

  • Saint Francis U will be making the program’s 28th appearance in the NEC Tournament.
  • The Red Flash have qualified for the NEC Tournament in each of the past eight years.
  • The Red Flash enter the postseason as the No. 6 seed for the second straight season.
  • Saint Francis U has captured a league-best 12 NEC Tournament championships. 
  • Saint Francis U has the most tournament wins (49) of any conference team.
  • The Red Flash look for their first NEC Tournament championship since 2018.
  • The Red Flash have been amongst the Tournament’s final four on 20 occasions, and have proceeded to advance to the Championship Game on 18 occasions out of 35 installments.
  • The Red Flash is the only team in conference history to win five straight NEC Tournament titles from (1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000). Saint Francis U also strung together four consecutive titles in 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, before going back-to-back in 2010 and 2011.
  • Saint Francis U has made it through the semifinal round more often than any NEC program.
  • The Red Flash own a league-best .766 winning percentage in the NEC Tournament (49-15).
  • Saint Francis U is 19-7 in the quarterfinals, 18-2 in the semifinals and 12-6 in the Championship Game.
  • Saint Francis U became the lowest seed to ever win the event when the No. 5 seeded Red Flash went all the way in 2010.
  • Head coach Keila Whittington seeks her first-ever postseason victory at the helm of the Red Flash.
  • Saint Francis U has struggled on the road, going 2-14 while dropping its past five. The Red Flash’s lone victories away from Loretto came at Stonehill (Jan. 6) and LIU (Jan. 14). 


#7 LIU (7-21, 5-11 NEC)

  • This year marks the 24th time that LIU qualifies for the NEC Tournament.
  • LIU looks to make its first semifinal appearance since 2017-18.
  • LIU’s lone championship came in 2001 when the third-seeded Sharks upset top-seeded Mount St. Mary’s.
  • LIU has made four NEC title game appearances, with its most recent one coming in 2010.
  • LIU is 16-23 all-time in the NEC Tournament
  • Under fourth-year head coach Rene Haynes, the Sharks will be making their third postseason appearance (Due to COVID-19, the usual eight-team field was trimmed to four in 2020-21).
  • The Sharks have been on a roll as of late, rallying for wins in four of their final five games, including one against third-seeded Merrimack.
  • The Sharks are 0-2 against Sacred Heart this season.
  • This year marks the first time LIU meets Sacred Heart in the postseason since 2006. The two teams clashed in the semifinals in a game that saw the Sharks fall by a 64-50 final.
  • Overall, LIU is 2-2 against Sacred Heart in the postseason with quarterfinal wins in 2002 and 2003, a semifinal defeat in 2004 and a quarterfinal defeat in 2006.


#8 CCSU (10-22, 7-9 NEC)

  • The Blue Devils are back in the postseason for the second time in as many seasons under fourth-year head coach Kerri Reaves.
  • This marks Central Connecticut’s 14th postseason appearance.
  • The Blue Devils have lost four consecutive postseason games, including three straight quarterfinal contests in 2016, 2017 and 2018, and an opening-round matchup in 2022.
  • Central Connecticut is 6-6 in NEC quarterfinal games.
  • Central Connecticut has never advanced to the NEC title game despite the program’s six semifinal appearances.
  • Overall, the Blue Devils are 6-13 in the NEC Tournament.
  • The Blue Devils are 2-0 against FDU in the NEC Tournament with quarterfinal victories in 1998 and 2009.