Days Inn Tournament Website

GETTYSBURG, Pa.  – The Gettysburg College women's basketball team will welcome a talented field of teams to the 2012 Days Inn Tournament set for Jan. 2-3 inside Bream Gym.

Joining Gettysburg (3-5) for the 22nd running of the event will be Messiah College (7-3), Neumann University (4-5), and the University of Scranton (5-5). Gettysburg and Scranton will begin the festivities at 6 p.m. on Jan. 2 followed by Neumann and Messiah at 8 p.m. The consolation and championship games will take place at 2 and 4 p.m., respectively, the following day.

All four teams annually rank among the top squads in their respective conferences. The four schools combined for 77 victories one year ago. Neumann was the lone team to earn a conference title last winter, taking down the top spot in the Colonial States Athletic Conference and advancing to the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second year in a row.

Messiah also competed in the NCAA playoffs last season, while Gettysburg and Scranton fell just shy of bids despite 19-win seasons.

The Days Inn Tournament has run its course every year since 1991 when Messiah won the initial crown. Gettysburg has won the title six times, including in three of the last four seasons, while the Falcons have earned the top spot five times in nine appearances. Neumann is making its second showing after winning the consolation game in 2010. Scranton finished runner-up to Gettysburg in 2011 and is making its second consecutive appearance.

Live Coverage
You can follow all the action from the Days Inn Tournament by tuning into Gettysburg's live stats (http://client.stretchinternet.com/client/gettysburg.portal#). Free live video of all contests involving the Bullets will also be available at the same address.

All-Time Series
Gettysburg owns a losing record to both Scranton and Messiah, while winning the only previous match up with Neumann. The Bullets are 2-3 against the Lady Royals, including a 49-41 victory in last season's Days Inn finale. Messiah has won 24 of 36 meetings with Gettysburg and has won each of the last five since the Bullets' last win in the 1999-00 season. Gettysburg won its only meeting with Neumann 59-55 at the 2010 Days Inn Tournament.

2011 Days Inn Tournament Recap
Gettysburg won its own event for the third time in four seasons in 2011. The Bullets shot 50 percent from the field and won the rebounding battle by 22 in an 85-33 victory over Randolph in the opening round. Rianna Doane pumped in 21 points and Sara Kinsley added 14 points off the bench. In the tournament championship, Gettysburg held Scranton to just 20 percent shooting en route to a 49-41 victory. Alyssa Ourlser was named the Most Outstanding Player after netting 17 points in the title game, while Doane and Kinsley were also named to the All-Tournament squad.

The Coaches
Head Coach Mike Kirkpatrick is Gettysburg's all-time leader in coaching victories with a record of 317-237. He has led the Bullets to a winning record in 19 of his 22 seasons. He has led the Bullets to the NCAA Tournament twice, including in 2009-10 when the team set a school record with 24 wins and advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16. Messiah's Mike Miller boasts a career record of 478-195 in 26 years. He has led the Falcons to the NCAA Tournament in each of the last 12 seasons, including a national runner-up showing in 2008. Frank Farnese is in his seventh season at Neumann. He has guided the Knights to a 107-66 overall record. Farnese has led the squad to back-to-back conference titles and the program's first two NCAA playoff appearances in the last two campaigns. Scranton mentor Mike Strong is the all-time wins leader in NCAA Division III history with a career record of 759-168. He has led the Lady Royals to 23 appearances in the NCAA Tournament and 18 conference titles. Strong led Scranton to the national crown in 1985.

Bullets Before the Break
Gettysburg won in dramatic fashion in its last outing as sophomore Alyssa Isler drained the game-winning three-pointer with 1.3 seconds left in a 55-52 win at Swarthmore on Dec. 9. Gettysburg trailed by as many as 11 in the game and did not hold a second-half lead until Isler's final bucket. Isler finished with a career-high 14 points in the contest, while senior Sara Kinsley posted 17 points, 10 rebounds, five assists, and three blocked shots.

Scouting Report: Messiah College
Messiah was ranked No. 22 in the D3hoops preseason poll after earning a trip to the NCAA Tournament last season. The Falcons ended the first semester with a pair of wins over Manhattanville and Virginia Wesleyan at the Cruzin Classic in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Sophomore Taylor Miller pumped in 14 points to lead the team to a 61-57 win over the Valiants, while junior Katlyn Vanderhoff posted 17 points in a 68-49 decision over the Marlins. Junior forward Dori Gyori leads a balanced Falcon attack with 13.1 points per game and she paces the team in rebounds at 8.5 caroms per contest.

Scouting Report: Neumann University
Neumann has started 3-1 in defense of its Colonial States Athletics Conference championship. The Knights have won the last two CSAC titles and have appeared in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. Junior Bethany Humenik, an All-CSAC Honorable Mention selection last winter, leads Neumann in scoring (11.3 ppg), assists (3.7 apg), and steals (2.0 spg). Humenik lit up Gwynedd-Mercy for 26 points earlier this season. Senior Sami Borcky paces the team in rebounding (8.9 rpg) and ranks second in scoring at 9.7 points per game.

Scouting Report: University of Scranton
Scranton was the last member of this year's field to take the court, competing in the Puerto Rico Classic on Dec. 20-21. The Lady Royals held off Alvernia for a 61-56 victory before suffering a 65-58 loss to Franklin & Marshall. The victory over Alverenia marked Head Coach Mike Strong's 759th career win, extending his all-time record in Division III. All but two games on Scranton's schedule have been decided by seven points or less, including all five of its losses. The team's biggest win was a 14-point decision against rival Moravian in Landmark Conference play. Sophomore Alison Sweeney has been the team's top point producer this season and has put up the most points in seven contests. She tied a career mark with 31 tallies in a win over Marywood earlier in the year.

Conference Poll
Gettysburg was picked to finish third in the Centennial Conference this season. The Bullets received 161 points to finish behind Muhlenberg and Johns Hopkins. Gettysburg finished third in the regular season standings last year with a 14-6 record.

Block Party
Senior Sara Kinsley is on the verge of becoming the most prolific shot blocker in school history. Heading into the first game of the Days Inn Tournament, Kinsley is just one block shy of the school's career mark of 147 set by 2007 graduate Katie Reilly. The Connecticut native became the first Bullet ever to lead the Centennial Conference in blocks with an average of 2.0 last season. She currently paces the conference with 3.3 blocks per game this winter.

Ice, Ice Baby
Sophomore Alyssa Isler found her groove at the end of the first semester. After missing nearly all of her freshman season due to injury, Isler has appeared in all eight contests this year and is tied for second on the team at 6.1 points per game. In the final two games before the break, she combined for 25 points and canned 8-of-14 attempts from beyond the arc. Isler leads the team with 10 three-pointers made this season.

Making a Statement
Senior Sara Kinsley has raised her game to new levels this winter. Kinsley came into her final campaign with career averages of 7.4 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. Currently, she is averaging a double-double on the year with 14.8 points and 10 rebounds per game, ranking eighth and second (tied) in the Centennial Conference, respectively. No Bullet has averaged a double-double in a season since Jennifer Bengel '06 in 2003-04. The senior has also been more efficient than ever, shooting personal bests from the field (55.2 percent) and the free throw line (62.9 percent).