Women's Basketball

Three Women's Basketball Teams Prepare for Postseason Play

BOSTON – For the second straight year and the fifth time in the last 15 years, the America East has three teams set to play postseason basketball, highlighted by Vermont playing in the NCAA First Round on Saturday at 2 p.m.
 
In addition to the Catamounts, Bryant will play in the WNIT while UAlbany will participate in the WBIT. The Bulldogs host Army in the opening round at 5 p.m. on Thursday. The Great Danes travel to play Saint Joseph’s on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Vermont in the Postseason
The Catamounts are making their third consecutive postseason appearance. The team most recently played in the NCAA Tournament back in 2022 as UVM traveled to Storrs as a No. 15 seed and lost 95-52 to UConn. Last season the Catamounts were selected to the WNIT and advanced all the way to the Fab 4 before falling to eventual champion Saint Louis.
 
Catamounts at a Glance
Vermont (21-12, 13-3) earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament with a 62-55 victory over top seed UAlbany in the America East Championship on Friday. The two teams were tied 28 apiece at the half, but UVM grabbed the lead for good with a 13-4 scoring edge in the third quarter. Junior Nikola Priede was honored as the Most Outstanding Player after scoring a game-high 20 points.
 
UAlbany in the Postseason
This year marks UAlbany’s fourth season with postseason play. The Great Danes fell to No. 1 Louisville in 2022 as the conference champion and then played in the WNIT each of the past two seasons. The Great Danes’ last postseason victory was in the NCAA in 2016 as they upended No. 5 Florida 61-59 in the NCAA Tournament.
 
Great Danes at a Glance
UAlbany (26-6) won its first outright regular season title since 2013 this year with a 14-2 conference record. The Great Danes fell in the conference championship to No. 2 Vermont, 62-55. The Catamounts extended their lead to double figures in the second half and UAlbany trimmed it to four in the fourth but couldn’t get any closer.
 
Bryant in the Postseason
The Bulldogs (17-14) are making their second-ever postseason appearance as a Division I program. Bryant played in the WBI during the 2013-14 season, falling to Fairfield in double overtime. The program’s last postseason victory was during the 2003-04 season, as Bryant lost in the Elite 8 of the Division II playoffs to Merrimack.
 
Bulldogs at a Glance
Bryant (17-14) advanced to the America East semifinals for the first time since joining the league prior to the 2022-23 season. The Bulldogs are 11-3 at home this season, with their only losses to Marist, UAlbany and UMBC. Sophomore Mia Mancini leads the team in scoring this year at 10.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. Over the last ten games Mimi Rubino is second on the team in scoring at 9.5 points per game with a team-high 17 threes.
 
Getting Defensive
The Catamounts currently rank fourth in the nation, allowing just 52.2 points per game. They’ve been even better over their past ten contests, holding teams to just 46.7 points per game. UAlbany is ranked ninth nationally, giving up just 53.2 points per game.
 
Balanced Scoring Attack
This season Anna Olson leads a balanced offensive attack, averaging 12.8 points. 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Keira Hanson is second on the team in scoring at 9.6 points per game, despite starting just 19 of 33 games. Nikola Priede is third at 9.1 points and 4.5 rebounds.
 
Title Town
Vermont has won eight America East Championships, second all-time in league history behind Maine, which has 10. The Catamounts previously won titles in 2023, 2010, 2009, 2000, 1994, 1993, 1992. Vermont’s 43 AE Tournament wins are second in league history, behind just Maine.

Strong Finish
The Catamounts are 9-1 over the last month, averaging 63.7 points per game and allowing just 46.7 points per contest. The team is holding opponents to 36.4 percent shooting while making 51.4 percent of their shots. UVM is also averaging 11.9 assists per contests, compared to just 9.6 turnovers per game.
 
Carolina in My Mind
This is the third NCAA Tournament contest for a Vermont team during the 2024-25 season. Back in December the UVM men’s soccer program captured its first national championship in Cary, N.C. The Catamounts took down No. 3 Denver in the semifinals, advancing 4-3 on penalty kicks after being tied 1-1 through double overtime. In the championship, UVM beat Marshall 2-1 in overtime on a goal by Maximilian Kissel. It was the first national championship in league history.

ABOUT AMERICA EAST
Founded in 1979, the America East Conference is an elite NCAA Division I athletic conference that fosters an environment for student-athletes to become champions. Comprised of academically renowned, like-minded member institutions located in the Northeast region of the United States, America East is committed to broad-based excellence and progressive in its approach to supporting its more than 3,500 student-athletes across 18 sponsored sports. For more information, visit www.AmericaEast.com and follow the America East Conference and its social media channels, @AmericaEast.
 
- America East Conference – Where Champions Rise -