The AMCC women's basketball tournament will be underway Wednesday when #3 Pitt-Bradford hosts #6 Pitt-Greensburg and when #5 Mount Aloysius College travels to #4 D'Youville College. Top seed La Roche College and #2 Penn St. Behrend each receive first round byes. With a 17-1 conference record, La Roche College became the first team in AMCC history to win their sixth consecutive regular season title and they have earned the right to host the 2016 women's basketball championship tournament.
#1 La Roche (22-3 17-1 AMCC) boasts the junior duo of guard Sabrina McLin and forward TiChina Mitchell, who were each twice named AMCC Players of the Week this season. McLin leads the conference with 21.6 points per game, while Mitchell is third with 20.8 and fourth with 9.0 rebounds per game. In addition to conference player of the week honors, Mitchell was also named the Division III National Player of the Week for the week ending December 13 and was also on the D3Hoops National Team of the Week for the week ending February 14.
#2 Penn St. Behrend (15-10, 13-5 AMCC) is in the midst of an impressive turnaround season, earning the No. 2 seed after tying for an eighth place finish last season. Sophomore forward/center Dani Reinwald averages a double-double with a conference-leading 11.8 rebounds and 13.2 points per game.
#3 Pitt-Bradford (16-9, 12-6 AMCC) is led by sophomore guard Ali Rinfrette who ranks second in the AMCC with 21.6 points per game and is sixth with a 31.9 three-point field goal percentage. The 5-6 guard can also be a force on the boards, as she leads the Panthers and is ninth in the conference with 7.7 rebounds per game.
After a one-year hiatus from the playoffs, #4 D'Youville College (12-13, 9-9) finds themselves back in the postseason race. Senior forward/center Alexis Smith leads the Spartan offense, and is 11th in the league, with 12.3 points per game.
#5 Mount Aloysius College (12-13, 9-9 AMCC) also finds themselves back in the playoffs after falling short by one game last season. The Mounties are led by a balanced offensive attack with sophomore guard Alexia Servello leading the way with 10.0 points per game. Sophomore guard Abby Kulick leads the Mounties on the boards with 6.4 rebounds per game.
#6 Pitt-Greensburg (10-15, 8-10 AMCC) returns to the postseason after falling short in the 2015 championship game. Sophomore guard Kelsey Oddis leads the Bobcat attack with 12.5 points per game and also brings in a team high 7.8 rebounds per game.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL TOURNAMENT BRACKET
First Round: Wednesday, February 24, 2016
#6 Pitt-Greensburg at #3 Pitt-Bradford , 7pm
#5 Mount Aloysius at #4 D'Youville College, 7pm
#1 La Roche College (bye)
#2 Penn St. Behrend (bye)
Championship Round at La Roche College
Semifinals: Saturday, February 27, 2016
1:00pm: #1 La Roche College vs. winner of 4v5
3:30pm: #2 Penn St. Behrend vs. winner of 3v6
Finals: Sunday, February 28, 2016 - 1:00 p.m.