By Anthony Covino
Sports Editor
FDU Women’s Basketball returns to the NEC Tournament semifinals for the second year in a row against the same opponent as last year. Only, this time, they will actually play the game.
Last year, FDU was scheduled to play Mount Saint Mary’s in the 2020 NEC Tournament in the semifinals on March 12 They never played as the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of the rest of the tournament and, then, all sports.
Now, circumstances bring them together again. Tipoff is at the Knott Arena in Emmitsburg, Pa., on Wednesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. while #2 Wagner will host #3 Saint Francis University (PA) on Wednesday, March 10, at 7 p.m. at the Spiro Sports Center in Staten Island, NY. The Tournament Final will be held on Sunday, March 14 at 2 p.m. at the higher seeds site.
MSM clinched the top seed in the 2021 tournament while FDU finished fourth. Due to the pandemic, the conference is limiting the tournament to the top four finishers, instead of the usual eight.
No. 2 Wagner will play No. 3 St. Francis (Pa.) in the other semifinal.
The 2020-2021 NEC standings finished as follows.
- Mount Saint Mary’s (15-6, 14-4 in the NEC)
- Wagner (12-5 overall, 12-4 in the NEC)
- Saint Francis University (PA) (14-8 overall, 12-4 in the NEC)
- FDU (14-8 overall, 12-6 in the NEC)
- Sacred Heart (8-10 overall, 8-8 in the NEC)
- LIU (7-11 overall, 7-11 in the NEC)
- Merrimack (5-10 overall, 5-10 in the NEC)
- Bryant (7-14 overall, 5-12 in the NEC)
- Saint Francis Brooklyn (4-10 overall, 4-10 in the NEC)
- Central Connecticut State University (4-14 overall, 4-14 in the NEC)
FDU senior forward Madison Stanley was named to first-team All NEC after averaging 13.7 points a game this year. Sophomore guard/forward Maria Roters earned second-team All NEC after averaging 11 PPG. Freshmen Chloe Wilson, a forward, and Devyn Scott, a guard, were named to the All-NEC rookie team, averaging 6.8 and 5 points a game, respectively.
Mount Saint Mary’s redshirt senior guard/forward Kendall Bresee won the NEC Women’s Basketball Player of the Year award, NEC Women’s Defensive Player of the Year, and was named to first-team All NEC after averaging 14.6 PPG this season.
Junior guard Michaela Harrison was named to second team All-NEC after averaging 12.6 PPG. Redshirt sophomore guard Aryna Taylor was named to third-team All-NEC after averaging 11.3 PPG. Freshman guard Jessica Tomasetti was named to the All-NEC rookie team after averaging 3.9 PPG. Mount Saint Mary’s is led by the NEC’s Coach of the Year Maria Marchesano.
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Photo from NEC.com
