NCAA Women's Regional Returns to Seattle Pacific Again
March 6, 2005

SEATTLE (Mar. 6) -- In what has become a seemingly annual rite of March Madness, the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball West Regional is coming back to Seattle for the third year in a row.

Once again, No.4-ranked Seattle Pacific University is the top seed and will host the eight-team regional tournament beginning Friday afternoon (Mar. 11) in Brougham Pavilion. All seven games will be played on the Falcons' home court, including the Saturday night (Mar. 12) semifinals and the Monday night (Mar. 14) championship game.

Seattle Pacific (25-2) is the defending regional champion and has won 63 of its last 64 home games, including 28 straight over the last two seasons. SPU will face Montana State Billings (21-6) in the nightcap of the first-round. Games begin at 12:30 Friday.

"It's always rewarding to be seeded No. 1 and to be selected as host," said SPU Coach Gordy Presnell. "It's always exciting, no matter whether it's your first time or your team has been here before."

Action starts with No. 3 seed Chico State (22-5) vs. Cal Poly Pomona (20-7), followed by No. 2 seed Western Washington (23-4) and Cal State Dominguez Hills (17-9) at 2:30, and No. 4 seed Saint Martin's (21-6) against Cal State Bakersfield (20-7) at 5:30 p.m.

The Falcons faced MSU Billings in the '03 regional semifinal. This season, SPU has met Chico State, Cal Poly Pomona, Western Washington (twice) and Saint Martin's (twice). The Saints are the only West team to have defeated Seattle Pacific in the last two seasons.

"We have not seen Montana State Billings in almost a couple years," he said, "but I understand they are a very good team and have beaten some good teams already this year."

In all, 64 teams received Div. II berths nationwide. Winners of the eight regional tournaments will advance to the Elite Eight, Mar. 23, 24 and 25 in Hot Springs, Ar. The West representative will face the Great Lakes winner Mar. 23 at 12 noon PST. The NCAA title game will be televised live on ESPN2.

West Regional tickets will go on sale beginning Monday at 9 a.m. at the SPU Athletics Office (206/281-2085) in the pavilion. Prices are $10 for reserved seating and $7 for general admission ($5 for students and youth). Ticket office hours are 9-4:30 through Thursday, 9-11 a.m. Friday and 9-4:30 Mar. 14. Box office windows open at 11:30 a.m. Friday, 3 p.m. Saturday and 5 p.m. Mar. 14.

Seattle Pacific is hosting a women's regional for the fourth time, having parlayed the home-court advantage to its only Elite Eight advancements in 1998 and again last year. In the 2004 regional championship game, SPU defeated Cal Poly Pomona, 80-63. SPU also hosted a first-round game in 1995. The Falcon men won the 2000 regional in the pavilion.

Seattle Pacific, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference champion, has been ranked No. 4 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches poll since Feb. 15. Western Washington, the GNAC runner-up, is No. 14 in the most recent poll. Chico State, the CCAA champion, is No. 18 and Cal Poly Pomona is 24th.

The Falcon men returned to the NCAA tournament for the first time in three years, and will travel just 90 miles to their regional tournament in Bellingham. SPU (20-8) is seeded No. 6 and faces Cal Poly Pomona (21-6) at 12:30 Friday in Western Washington's Carver Gym.