Belton,
TX – The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor men's basketball team will
make its second trip to the Pacific Northwest this season when the Cru
travels
to Spokane, Washington to face Whitworth University in the Sectional
Round of the NCAA Division III National Championships this Saturday, March 16th. UMHB will be facing the Pirates in a rematch of a regular season meeting between the two teams
with a berth in the NCAA Quarterfinals on the line. That game will tip off at 9:00 PM Central Time on Saturday.
The
Cru is 24-5 on the season and advanced to the Sectional Round with a
117-92 victory over American Southwest Conference rival Concordia Texas
in the
Second Round. The UMHB men are in the "Sweet 16" of the NCAA Division
III National Championships for just the second time in the history of
the program. The Cru is playing in its sixth NCAA Tournament in the last
seven years and fell to Augustana (Ill.) College
in its previous trip to the Sectional Round in 2011.
Whitworth is 26-3 on the year and has
postseason victories over University of Redlands (75-69) and Emory
University (86-67). The Pirates entered the NCAA Tournament ranked #6 in
the country by D3hoops.com and
will be hosting an NCAA tournament game beyond
the second round for the first time in school history. The Pirates are
in the Division III tournament for the eighth time and are making their
fifth trip to the Division III sweet 16.
The two teams met in Spokane back on November 24th with the Pirates posting a 70-61 victory. Saturday's game will mark the 11th straight contest in which UMHB will be facing a team it has already played in the regular
season.
The teams will play for the right to advance to the
Sectional Final and Championship Semifinal rounds on March 22-23 in
Salem, Va. The winner of Saturday's game will play the winner of a
contest between St. Mary's (Md.) and Morrisville State
(N.Y.) in Salem next Friday.
Tickets will cost $10 for adults and $5 for students,
youth and senior adults. All available seating is general admission
and tickets will only be sold at the door. Doors will open at 5:30 pm.
Coverage plans for Saturday's game, including
live statistics, live audio and the potential for live video will be announced later this week.
