BRYANT WOMEN'S BASKETBALL SELECTED TO NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS

Women Open Regional Play vs. Stonehill Friday in Philadelphia, PA

SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bryant University women's basketball team was selected to participate in the 2008 NCAA Division II Championships as the 64-team women's bracket was announced Sunday evening.

The seventh-seeded Bryant women (20-11) will face second-seeded Stonehill College (26-4) in the first round of the NCAA Northeast Regional Tournament this Friday in Philadelphia, Pa., in a rematch of Sunday afternoon's Northeast-10 Conference Championship, won by the Skyhawks, 90-79.

This is the seventh NCAA Tournament appearance for the Bryant women's basketball program and its first since the 2005 postseason. The Bulldogs first appeared in the national tournament in 1986, and Friday's opening-round game marks the fourth trip to the dance for head coach Mary Burke.

With only one senior in its ranks, Bryant enters the tournament with little experience on the national stage. Senior captain Lynne-Ann Kokoski (Hatfield, Mass.) was a freshman on the 2004-05 Bulldog team that fell to rival Bentley College, 67-56, in the NCAA first round.

Before the 2008 at-large bid, Bryant appeared in the NCAA Tournament in 1986, 1988, 1989, 1996, 2004 and 2005.

Holy Family University received the top seed in the Northeast and will host this weekend's regional. The semifinals will take place Saturday with the championship scheduled for Monday. Times of regional games will be announced this week. The winner will advance to the NCAA Elite Eight in Kearney, Nebraska, March 26-29.

Check back to http://www.bryantbulldogs.com/ for game times, scores and stories from this weekend's regional action.

NCAA Division II Women's Northeast Regional
March 14-17 @ Philadelphia, PA

Friday, March 14
No. 2 Stonehill (26-4) vs. No. 7 Bryant (20-11), 1 p.m.
No. 3 Franklin Pierce (24-5) vs. No. 6 Dominican (22-8), 3 p.m.
No. 1 Holy Family (30-0) vs. No. 8 Molloy (19-11), 6 p.m.
No. 4 Bentley (19-10) vs. No. 5 Assumption (21-9), 8 p.m.

Saturday, March 15
Franklin Pierce/Dominican winner vs. Stonehill/Bryant winner, 6 p.m.
Holy Family/Molloy winner vs. Bentley/Assumption winner, 8 p.m.

Monday, March 17
Regional Championship, 7 p.m.

Seeds
1. Holy Family (30-0)
2. Stonehill (26-4)
3. Franklin Pierce (24-5)
4. Bentley (19-10)
5. Assumption (21-9)
6. Dominican (22-8)
7. BRYANT (20-11)
8. Molloy (19-11)