NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Sectional Website

GETTYSBURG, Pa. – Gettysburg College will be the black sheep this weekend in the NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Sectional hosted by Amherst College as the remaining competing teams all hail from Massachusetts. The Bullets will aim to make the most of their first trip this deep in the tournament, beginning with a showdown against Babson College on Friday, March 12, at 5 p.m.

Gettysburg (24-4) joins a bracket that includes host Amherst (29-0), Williams College (20-7), and Babson (27-3). Combined, Babson (83 miles) and Williams (59 miles) will travel less than half the distance than the Bullets anticipated 400-plus mile journey. It will be well worth the trek, however, if the Orange and Blue can continue the best season in school history.

“Our goal was to get to the NCAA and do well,” said Head Coach Mike Kirkpatrick. “We got there and did pretty well in that first tournament. Now we're looking at this weekend as another step in ultimately doing the same thing; going to a tournament and doing our best and being successful.”

This weekend will present a new atmosphere for the Bullets. Playing in front of a largely neutral crowd last weekend at Moravian College, Gettysburg put up convincing wins over Farmingdale State College (68-57) and Utica College (71-55). With three teams hailing from the Bay State, Amherst's LaFrak Gym isn't likely to be pro-Bullets. Though no current player has been to this stage of the postseason, Gettysburg has a hidden resource on the bench in the form of Assistant Coach Kelly Lewandowski.

As a player at the University of Scranton from 2002-06, Lewandowski helped the Lady Royals reach the sectionals three times, culminating with a quarterfinal appearance in 2004 and back-to-back Finals Fours in 2005 and 2006.

“It's not easy going on the road but it is definitely exciting,” said Lewandowski, in the midst of her second year at Gettysburg. “Amherst is going to be packed and that's exactly what the tournament is about. It's going to provide an atmosphere that our girls have never played in before. But they can feed off of it. It's going to be loud and intense from start to finish, but I think that helps get our girls going; it gives them a lot of energy. It's going to be a great experience going to play somewhere that has so much support for the sport. It's an experience that the girls will be able to remember and recall in years to come.”

Gettysburg's Friday opponent, Babson, has been on a roll this season. The Beavers have won 19 in a row and like the Bullets, have set the program record for wins in a season. Babson claimed the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) championship with a 61-56 win over Worchester Polytechnic Institute and has posted wins over Emmanuel College (76-56) and Colby College (76-73) in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament, the latter coming in double overtime.

The Beavers have out-scored their opponents by an average margin of 19.1 points per game and have posted a rebounding margin of 10.9 rebounds per game. Nicole Wurdeman paces three double-digit scorers with 15 points per game.

Gettysburg will counter Babson's lineup with its own well-rounded roster which features four players averaging double-figures in the postseason. Junior Caitlin Moser (Wyomissing, Pa./Wyomissing) and senior Courtney Fields (Baltimore, Md./St. Paul's School for Girls) lead the Bullets with an average of 19 and 18 points per game in the NCAA Tournament.

Friday's contest will also feature two the top defenses in Division III. Babson ranked sixth in the latest statistics, allowing only 50.5 points per game, with Gettysburg right behind in eighth, allowing only 51.2 points per game.

The team has a short time to prepare before jumping on the bus for Amherst Thursday morning, but it will be business as usual for Kirkpatrick's crew.

“We have certain things we do and we're going to keep doing those things this week,” said Kirkpatrick. “That's what got us here.”

The winner of Gettysburg and Babson will draw the victor between New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) rivals Amherst and Williams Saturday at 6 p.m. The teams have met twice during the regular season with the Lord Jeffs winning 75-51 and 86-52.

Despite the prize of a Final Four berth looming with a win on Saturday, Gettysburg has eyes only for Friday's opponent.

“Our goal is to win the first game,” noted Kirkpatrick. “Everything is about winning the first game. You prepare for that one the best you can, and then you have a chance at a second game.”

Tickets for this weekend's games are $7 for adults and $4 for students and children (children under the age of two will be admitted free of charge).