Lady
Blues earn first NCAA Division II berth since 1994-95
March 3, 2002
The Washburn Lady Blues earned a spot in the NCAA Division
II tournament, announced Sunday evening by the NCAA. Washburn enters
the field as the No. 5 seed in the South Central Region, making its
first appearance since the 1994-95 season.
That season the Lady Blues reached the South Central Region
semifinals in St. Joseph, Mo. before falling to the Missouri Western
Griffons 73-57 to finish 24-7.
The Griffons are the MIAAÍs automatic qualifier after
beating Washburn in the MIAA tournament finals and will be the host
school of the region, entering the tournament with a No. 1 national
ranking and a 27-2 record. Angelo State became the Lone Star ConferenceÍs
automatic qualifier with an 82-67 win over Midwestern (Texas) State
Saturday evening. The Rambelles will be the regionÍs No. 6 seed.
Along with No. 5 Washburn, three other teams received
at-large berths. The No. 2 seed will be St. MaryÍs (25-2), No. 3 Cameron
(24-4) and WashburnÍs opponent will be No. 4 Southeastern Oklahoma State
(22-6). The quarterfinal game will be the first meeting between Washburn
and Lady Savages.
The Lady Blues will take the court Thursday night in the
quarterfinals. Time of the games will be determined Monday morning.
South Central Regional Bracket