MELBOURNE, Fla. - [PDF Bracket | WBB Tournament Page] - The opening round of the Sunshine State Conference Women's Basketball Championship will tip-off on Tuesday, February 28th. All games throughout the tournament will be hosted on campus sites and broadcast on the
SSC Digital Network by member institutions.
The University of Tampa earns the No. 1 seed in the postseason tournament following a 19-1 record in SSC play and a regular-season title. It stands as the eighth regular-season title for the Spartans, third consecutive. Eckerd College (No. 2), Lynn University (No. 3), and Nova Southeastern University (No. 4) will also host a quarterfinal game in the 2023 championship. Florida Southern College (No. 5), Barry University (No. 6), Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (No. 7), and Saint Leo University (No. 8) round out this year's tournament field.
QUARTERFINALS AT A GLANCE...
#1 Tampa vs. #8 Saint Leo - 7:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: Tampa swept the season series with a 68-59 victory at Saint Leo (Jan. 4th) and a 78-62 win in Tampa (Feb. 8).
Tournament History:
Tampa: 43-32 record - 7x champion, 6x runner up
Saint Leo: 9-31 record - 1x runner up
Tournament Series: Tampa leads 4-3
Last Meeting: #1 UT 72, #4 SLU 57 in the 2020 semifinals
NOTES: The Tampa Spartans are 27-1 on the season and ranked #3 in the latest WBCA Coaches Poll. In the first NCAA South regional ranking, finishing one spot ahead of Eckerd College, a team they swept this season. The Spartans have won the last two SSC conference tournament titles, defeating Florida Southern in the final last season and PBA in the final in 2021. The Lions have made the SSC final once in their program’s history. That feat came in 2013 when they advanced to the title game as the #7 seed. They lost to #4 Rollins in the championship.
Players to Watch:
UT: Sydney Kin (Sr., F/C, Carey, Ohio) is averaging the second-most points per game in the SSC (18.5), and she leads the conference in rebounds per game (10.0), field goal percentage (65.7%), and blocked shots (59). Melijah Sullivan (Sr., G, Bartow, Fla.) is the team’s second-leading scorer, and she is averaging the seventh-most points per game (14.6) in the league. Audrey Ramsey (So., G, Boca Raton, Fla.) is third in the conference in assists per game (5.0), and she tops the league in assist to turnover ratio (2.8).
SLU: The SSC’s leading scorer Amanda Ulrich (Sr., G, Secaucus, N.J.) leads the way for the Lions. She is averaging 18.7 points per game. She is seventh in the league in field goal percentage (48.1%) and she is tied for the third-most three-pointers in the conference with 60. Kiki McIntyre (Jr., G, Dorchester, Mass.) leads the conference in steals per game (2.6). Alex Button (Fifth-year, G, Cohocton, N.Y.) is second on the team in points per game (12.7), and she leads the team in blocks (20).
#2 Eckerd vs. #7 ERAU - 7:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: Eckerd swept the regular season series, winning 66-62 in St. Petersburg (Jan. 4) and 76-64 in Daytona Beach (Jan. 28).
Tournament History:
Eckerd: 18-30 record - 2x champion, 1x runner up
Embry-Riddle: 2-4 record - 1x runner up
Tournament Series: Embry-Riddle leads 1-0
Last Meeting: #3 ERAU 61, #2 EC 53 in the 2018 semifinals
NOTES: The Tritons were ranked #8 in the latest WBCA poll, and they came in at #2 in the first NCAA South regional ranking. Their only two conference losses this season came against Tampa. They last won the SSC conference tournament in 2020 when they defeated #1 Tampa 75-69. They also won the title in 2017 and finished as runner-ups in 2019. Both of the Eagles SSC conference tournament wins came in 2018 when they advanced to the championship game. They lost to #1 Florida Southern 87-68 in that final.
Players to Watch:
EC: The Tritons are led by Sofia Persson (Jr., G, Arvika, Sweden) who is fourth in the SSC in points per game (17.0) and third in rebounds per game (7.8). They have been without their second-leading scorer Maya Price (Sr., C, Bury St. Edmunds, England) since January 25. She is fifth in the league in points per game (15.1), fifth in rebounds per game (7.5), second in field goal percentage (59.7%), and second in steals per game (2.1). Lauryn Vieira (Jr., G, Haute-Savoie, France) leads the conference with 6.6 assists per game. That’s 1.5 more assists than the second-best mark in the league. Hannah Wentworth (So., G, Auckland, New Zealand) is the top three-point shooter in the conference. She has made 84 this season and is shooting 40.8% from deep.
ERAU: Three Eagles averaged in double figures this season. Madyson Jean-Louis (So., G, Grand Prairie, Texas) led the way with 12.9 points per game, while Keturah Balabyekkubo (Jr., G, Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada) averaged 11.7 and Rachel Murray (Jr., G, Waynesville, Ohio) averaged 10.7. Balabyekkubo is eighth in the league in rebounds per game (6.2) and field goal percentage (47.6%), and she is sixth in the league in steals per game (2.0). Murray is seventh in the conference with 1.9 made three-pointers per game.
#3 Lynn vs. #6 Barry - 7:00 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: Lynn won both games this season, defeating Barry 82-74 in Boca Raton (Jan. 14) and 73-52 in Miami Shores (Feb. 8).
Tournament History:
Lynn: 3-19 record - 1x champion
Barry: 16-27 record - 1x champion, 3x runner up
Tournament Series: Barry leads 2-1
Last Meeting: #5 LU 54, #3 BU 52 in the 2010 championship
NOTES: All three of the Lynn Fighting Knights’ wins in the SSC tournament came in 2010 when they won the championship as the #5 seed. This season, in the first NCAA South regional ranking, they were ranked #8. The Bucs last made it to the SSC title game in 2015, when they advanced there as the #7 seed and lost to #1 Nova Southeastern. Their only SSC conference tournament championship came in 1991 when they defeated #2 Rollins 87-75 in the final.
Players to Watch:
LU: The Fighting Knights boast two scorers who rank in the top 10 in the SSC. Jada Marone (Gr., G, Lakewood, Ohio) is sixth in the league (14.7) and Ella Fiore (So., G/F, Narragansett, R.I.) is 10th (13.1). Fiore is third in the conference in field goal percentage (59.0%), and she leads the team with 5.1 rebounds per game. Marone is third in the conference with 2.4 steals per game. Meghan Cramb (Gr., G, Merrimack, N.H.) has made the fifth most three-pointers in the league this season (53). Lucija Kostic (Gr., C, Zagreb, Croatia) leads the team in assists per game (4.0) and blocked shots per game (1.0). She ranks in the top 10 in the league in both categories.
BU: The Bucs bring a balanced attack to the SSC tournament. They have 10 players averaging more than 5.0 points per game. They are led by Chiara Fusari (Jr., G, Pavia, Italy) who averages 10.0 points per game, and Dasiah Thornton (Jr., G, Boston, Mass.) who averages 8.5. Trinity Bosecker (Jr., F/C, Theills, N.Y.) is third in the league in blocked shots (33), and she leads the team with 4.8 rebounds per game. Ashia Pool (Sr., G, McKinney, Texas) leads the team with 3.0 assists per game, the 10th-best mark in the conference.
#4 NSU vs. #5 FSC - 5:30 PM [Watch Live | Live Stats]
2022-23: The two teams split the season series with each winning on their home court. Nova Southeastern won 78-67 (Jan. 1) and the Mocs won 66-58 (Jan. 28).
Tournament History:
Nova Southeastern: 16-14 record - 3x champion
Florida Southern: 53-29 record - 12x champion, 9x runner up
Tournament Series: Florida Southern leads 2-1
Last Meeting: #1 FSC 80, #4 NSU 77 in the 2019 quarterfinals
NOTES: The Sharks were ranked #6 in the first NCAA South regional ranking. They most recently made the SSC tournament final in 2015 where they defeated #7 Barry for their third SSC conference tournament title. Since then, they have made the semifinals twice. The Mocs have the most conference tournament titles of any SSC school. Their last championship came in 2019 when they defeated #3 Eckerd in the final 61-60. Last season, they lost in the championship game to #1 Tampa 74-67.
Players to Watch:
NSU: The Sharks boast the highest-scoring offense in the SSC, and they have made 255 three-pointers this season. Madison Frederick (Gr., F, Tipp City, Ohio) ranks third in the SSC in points per game (17.8), and she is second in the conference in three-point percentage (41.7%). She is also second in the league in assists per game (5.1), fourth in rebounds per game (7.6), and seventh in steals per game (1.9). Hailey Conley (Gr., G, North Franklin, Conn.) is the team’s second-leading scorer and she is eighth in the conference in points per game (14.3.). Conley is second in the league with 61 made three-pointers this season. A’lexus Bryant (Sr., F, Jacksonville, Fla.) is seventh in the league in blocks (18).
FSC: The leading scorer for Florida Southern is Ashley Shell (Gr., F/C, Deerfield Beach, Fla.) who is averaging 13.8 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounds per game (6.5). The team’s second-leading scorer, Domenica Zamora (Sr., G, Guayaquil, Ecuador), is seventh in the league in three-point field goal percentage (38.7%). Zamora is also fourth in the league in assists per game (4.5), sixth in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.5), and ninth in steals per game (1.8). Amari Jackson (Fr., F, Gainesville, Fla.) is 10th in the league in blocked shots (16).
Following Tuesday's quarterfinal round, the tournament semifinals will be held on Thursday, March 2nd, and the championship final will be played Sunday, March 5th. The SSC champion will receive automatic qualification to the 2023 NCAA Division II Championships. Regional competition will take place at a non-predetermined site beginning on Friday, March 10th. Elite Eight play will take place Monday, March 20th to Wednesday, March 22nd, at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri. The NCAA will announce championship selections and seeding on Sunday, March 5th,
here.
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