MELBOURNE, Fla. - [
PDF Bracket |
Championship Central] - Sunshine State Conference Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal match-ups will tip off on Saturday, March 9th. All tournament semifinals and finals will be hosted by Nova Southeastern University at Rick Case Arena in the Don Taft University Center in Fort Lauderdale. All semifinal games will be streamed live on the Sunshine State Conference Digital Network.
Semifinal #1 | Location: Rick Case Arena - Fort Lauderdale | Time: 12:00 PM
No. 1 seed Florida Southern College (26-3, 18-2) vs. No. 4 Nova Southeastern University (18-10, 13-7)
How They Got There:
Florida Southern defeated No. 8 Barry University, 89-71, in Lakeland. SSC Player of the Year Camille Giardina led the game with 30 points and Anja Fuchs-Robetin chipped in with 25 points and grabbed nine rebounds as the Moccasins eliminated the Buccaneers from postseason play. (
Box)
Nova Southeastern defeated No. 5 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, 85-79, in Fort Lauderdale. Five Sharks scored in double figures led by Alison Hughes' 18 points and Claire McMahon's 17 points. (
Box)
Matchup:
Florida Southern took the season series over Nova Southeastern, winning 79-72 in Fort Lauderdale on December 29th and 88-62 at home in Lakeland on February 2nd. NSU's last win over FSC came on January 28, 2017 in Lakeland (53-48). The two squads last meet in the SSC tournament during the 2012 event in Lakeland. #1 FSC defeated #5 NSU (66-47) in the semifinals.
Players to Watch:
Camille Giardina and Anja Fuchs-Robetin both represented Florida Southern on the ALL-SSC First Team. The duo are first and third in the conference in scoring per game this season. Nova Southeastern is led by senior guards Christen Prasse and Alison Hughes both earned ALL-SSC Second Team honors this season.
Semifinal #2 | Location: Rick Case Arena - Fort Lauderdale | Time: 2:30 PM
No. 3 seed Eckerd College (21-8, 14-6) vs. No. 7 seed Rollins College (12-15, 8-12).
How They Got There:
No. 3 Eckerd defeated No. 6 Lynn University, 76-55, in St. Petersburg. Chelsea Johnson scored a game-high 20 points, on 8-10 shooting from the field. Along with Johnson, three other Tritons scored in double figures during the victory. (
Box)
No. 7 Rollins upset No. 2 University of Tampa, 56-45, in Tampa. It is only the third No. 7 / No. 2 upset in SSC women's basketball tournament history. Rollins was led in scoring by junior guard Jaylyn Harrison, who had 13 points off the bench, while Carly McLendon pulled in a 12-point / 11-rebound double double for the Tars. (
Box)
Matchup:
Eckerd swept Rollins in the regular season series winning the first home matchup 75-52 on January 12th and the road game 47-44 on February 23rd. RC's last win over EC came on February 4, 2017 in St. Petersburg (69-54). The Tars and Tritons last met in the SSC postseason during the 2011 tournament. #4 Eckerd defeated #5 Rollins (70-62) in the quarterfinal round in St. Petersburg.
Players to Watch:
Johnson represented Eckerd on the All-SSC First Team this season after leading the Tritons in points per game (13.7), field goals made (118), and free throw percentage (0.845). Rollins is led by two-time Defensive Player of the Year Carly McLendon, who led the conference in blocks (63) and was fourth in rebounding (230) this season.
Tournament Information:
The 2019 Sunshine State Conference Women's Basketball Championship semifinals will be Saturday, March 9th, finals tip off on Sunday, March 10th. Both men's and women's semifinals and finals will be held at the Rick Case Arena at the Don Taft University Center in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
READ ALSO: ESPN3 to Stream SSC Basketball Championship Finals**
Please contact SSC Assistant Commissioner
Robert Brennecke with any questions or media inquiries.