For the first time in school history, the State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team will host the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament March 1-2.

The Hawks (23-4 overall, 17-1 SUNYAC) will take on Rutgers University-Newark (16-12, 10-8 NJAC) in the first round Friday, with the other first round matchup consisting of Hartwick College (23-4, 14-2 Empire 8) and Emmanuel College (23-5, 11-1 GNAC). Although special to have the opportunity to host, SUNY New Paltz coach Jamie Seward knows once the ball is tipped, there is no such thing as home court advantage.

"I think everybody is really excited. But we also know, and we had discussed this going into the conference tournament and we talked about it again on Monday heading into this weekend, that the team that plays the best and executes at the highest level, and makes the fewest amount of mistakes that is going to determine the winner," said Seward. "Not where this game is played. Once the game starts it is nice to have the familiar surroundings, but it's really about who plays the best on Friday, not where the game is."
Last time the Hawks played in the Hawk Center they captured the program's fourth State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) Championship, and third in four years. They defeated defending SUNYAC champions SUNY Geneseo in a thrilling 63-57 overtime game where they managed to crawl out of a 13-point deficit with six minutes remaining to come out victorious. SUNY New Paltz senior guard Lindsay Bettke was named SUNYAC Tournament MVP for the second time in her illustrious career -- before being recognized as the SUNYAC Player of the Year -- while teammate Rachel Simon was also named to the All-Tournament team.

Heading into their matchup against the Scarlet Raiders, the Hawks will need a full team offensive effort. Bettke and Simon combined for 86 of their team's 133 points through their two conference playoff games, but against a tough defensive team like Rutgers-Newark, SUNY New Paltz will need to get more production on that side of the ball from a variety of players.

"It's going to be tough. They are definitely going to be a challenge to score against," Seward said. "We will have to execute well. We will have to take care of the basketball and we're going to need to get some contributions from everyone. We're not going to be able to rely on one or two players. They are too good defensively. We are going to have to be able to move the basketball and create opportunities through that ball movement to try and get some quality scoring opportunities, but it's going to be a challenge."

The Scarlet Raiders, who won the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) Championship after a thrilling overtime victory of their own against Kean University, ranked second in the NJAC in points allowed (55.4 points per game) and first in opponents 3-point percentage allowed (25.2).

Along with a strong defense, Rutgers-Newark is backed by one of the best offensive players in its conference in NJAC Player of the Year senior Faith Ashby. Ashby leads the Scarlet Raiders with 17.6 points per game, while shooting about 39 percent from the field and 26 percent from 3-point range. She also pulls down nearly seven rebounds per game, along with dishing out about four assists and totaling four steals a contest. Hannah Ashby follows offensively for Rutgers-Newark, as she was recognized by the NJAC as an All-Conference Honorable Mention selection. Hannah Ashby averages 11 points and four rebounds per game.

"They are a very strong defensive team," Seward said. "They are very aggressive. They switch their defenses. They'll press, they'll play some zone, they'll play some aggressive man-to-man, they're tough to score against. They create a lot of turnovers. They also have their conferences Player of the Year, who is a really good guard who can score, distribute and create for others. Her sister is also a good shooter and they have a big kid and they're athletic."

Before the Hawks and Scarlett Raiders tip-off, Hartwick College and Emmanuel College will battle for a chance to advance Saturday. The visiting Hawks are coming off a win at home against St. John Fisher College to win the Empire 8 Championship.

Hartwick played two SUNYAC opponents during the regular season – SUNY Cortland and SUNY Oneotna – and defeated both by scores of 65-51 and 67-54, respectively. As a team, Hartwick averages about 74 points per game, while allowing less than 59. They have four players averaging double-figure points, including Caitlin Corbett (15.2), Carly Johnson (14.8), Maggie Kirby (10.4) and Kelly Pine (10.1).

Emmanuel College, meanwhile, are also coming off a conference championship. The Saints defeated St. Joseph's College in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Feb. 23, 65-64. Junior guard Yuleska Ramirez-Tejeda won the GNAC MVP after leading her team to a conference title, while also eclipsing the 1,000-career point mark in the win.

As a team, Emmanuel College average 80 points per game, but give up an average of 84 points against. Ramirez-Tejeda leads the team with 21 points per game, while shooting 55 percent from the field. Maddie McLaughlin and Kayla Weaver also average double-figures for the Saints, with 13.1 and 12.8 points per game, respectively.
As for SUNY New Paltz, it has eight players on the roster that was a part of its 2017 NCAA Sweet 16 run. The Hawks are excited to have the opportunity to enter another NCAA Tournament, but they know they have to put up their best game in order to survive and advance.

"Even after winning a conference championship, obviously there was celebration, but it was back to business and refocused real quick," Seward said. "We have a lot of things that we got to iron out here in these last couple days or it is going to be a short weekend. We've got three seniors and a bunch of juniors who have been in the NCAA Tournament and they like the feeling of continuing to be in it. So, I think that helps and there is definitely an attitude about being able to continue our season. It is not just about being happy to be here, but we know we have to more than just want to be there. We know we have to play well and we'll have to play our best game of the year to stay in this tournament."

The Hawks are set to tip-off against Rutgers-Newark at 7:30 p.m., with Hartwick College and Emmanuel College set for a 5:30 p.m. start in the Hawk Center.

Entrance will be open one hour prior to tip-off with ticket prices set at $7 for adults and $3 for seniors, students with I.D. and children 3-12 years old.

Live stream and live stats can be found, here. To view the NCAA digital program, you can click here.

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