Bucknell University Athletics
Photo by: Marc Hagemeier
Bucknell Earns No. 12 Seed, Will Face Florida State in First Round of NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament
3/18/2019 5:50:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Bison, Seminoles to meet in Charlotte at 4 p.m. Friday on ESPN2
LEWISBURG, Pa. – Bucknell (28-5) earned a No. 12 seed in the 2019 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament and will take on No. 5 seed Florida State (23-8) in the opening round on Friday, March 22, at 4 p.m. The game will be played at Halton Arena in Charlotte, North Carolina and will be televised on ESPN2.
The Bison earned the highest seed in program history and the highest for the Patriot League since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994. This is the program's fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament and the second during Aaron Roussell's seven seasons as head coach. The Bison received a No. 14 seed in 2017.
Bucknell secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Patriot League title with a 66-54 win over American in the championship game. Leading the way with 23 points was Patriot League Tournament MVP Kaitlyn Slagus, who is part of a senior class that has won a school and league-record 102 games over the last four years. The Bison were the top seed in the conference tournament after going 16-2 in the Patriot League during the regular season. The 28 wins are a new school record and are one shy of the Patriot League record.
Under the direction of 22nd-year head coach Sue Semrau, Florida State received an at-large bid after going 23-8 overall and 10-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Seminoles, advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament before losing 69-62 to N.C. State. Florida State is led by First Team All-ACC performer Kiah Gillespie, who averages 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Bucknell and Florida State have never before met in women's basketball. The winner will play either No. 4 seed South Carolina or No. 13 seed Belmont in the second round on Sunday at Halton Arena.
The bracket reveal hit a bit of a snafu on Monday, as ESPN inadvertently displayed the bracket on the air during a mid-day show discussing the men's NCAA Tournament field. As a result, the women's bracket was formally announced in an impromptu show at 5 p.m., two hours before the originally scheduled selection show.
The Bison earned the highest seed in program history and the highest for the Patriot League since the NCAA Tournament expanded to 64 teams in 1994. This is the program's fourth trip to the NCAA Tournament and the second during Aaron Roussell's seven seasons as head coach. The Bison received a No. 14 seed in 2017.
Bucknell secured an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by winning the Patriot League title with a 66-54 win over American in the championship game. Leading the way with 23 points was Patriot League Tournament MVP Kaitlyn Slagus, who is part of a senior class that has won a school and league-record 102 games over the last four years. The Bison were the top seed in the conference tournament after going 16-2 in the Patriot League during the regular season. The 28 wins are a new school record and are one shy of the Patriot League record.
Under the direction of 22nd-year head coach Sue Semrau, Florida State received an at-large bid after going 23-8 overall and 10-6 in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Seminoles, advanced to the quarterfinal round of the ACC Tournament before losing 69-62 to N.C. State. Florida State is led by First Team All-ACC performer Kiah Gillespie, who averages 16.2 points and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Bucknell and Florida State have never before met in women's basketball. The winner will play either No. 4 seed South Carolina or No. 13 seed Belmont in the second round on Sunday at Halton Arena.
The bracket reveal hit a bit of a snafu on Monday, as ESPN inadvertently displayed the bracket on the air during a mid-day show discussing the men's NCAA Tournament field. As a result, the women's bracket was formally announced in an impromptu show at 5 p.m., two hours before the originally scheduled selection show.
Players Mentioned
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