Regis to Host GNAC Tourney Quarterfinal Tuesday

WESTON, Mass. – For the second time in three seasons, the Regis College women's basketball team will host a quarterfinal game in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament, as the third seeded Pride welcome sixth seed Colby-Sawyer College to Higgins Court Tuesday, Feb. 25, for a 6:30 p.m. tipoff.

Regis earned its highest positioning in the GNAC Tournament since joining the conference by posting an 8-3 league mark to tie Suffolk and Albertus Magnus for third place. The Pride joined Suffolk in separating from the Falcons in one tiebreaker based on their victories over Emmanuel, and then Regis' Feb. 12 win over the Rams allowed the Pride to slide into the third spot in the seeding order.

The Pride boast the league's toughest scoring defense, allowing just 54.4 points per game, including only 47.8 points per GNAC contest. Offensively, Regis is scoring 58.8 points per game by shooting 34.7 percent from the field, including 24.3 percent from behind the three-point line, and 64.9 percent from the free throw line. During league play, the Pride have grabbed 45.0 rebounds per game, third in the GNAC.

Freshman Pam Gonzalez (Revere, Mass.) has made an immediate impact for the Pride, earning GNAC Rookie of the Week honors seven times this season as she leads the team with 12.9 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 2.4 steals per game. Two other players are averaging double figures in scoring, as Katryna Veasey (Quincy, Mass.) is averaging 10.2 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif.) is contributing 10.0 points and 6.6 rebounds per contest.

Senior co-captain Taylor Iorfino (Monroe, Conn.) has enjoyed the best season of her collegiate career with 7.8 points and 4.6 rebounds per game, while junior co-captain Nikki Bitinaitis (Cromwell, Conn.) is averaging 6.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 4.0 assists per game. Mackenzie Emery (Standish, Maine) has earned significant playing time in her first collegiate season, contributing 6.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists, and 1.7 steals per game.

Colby-Sawyer has won its last five games in a row to bring an 18-7 overall record into Tuesday's contest. The Chargers, 7-4 in league play, are scoring 63.3 points per game while allowing just 54.8 points per contest, and the team is second in the GNAC in field goal percentage at 39.9 percent, free throw percentage at 70.7 percent, and assists with 15.0 helpers per game while also pulling down 44.0 rebounds per game, third in the league.

The Chargers bring experience to the equation, as two seniors lead the way, starting with center Tianna Sugars, averaging a double-double with 16.2 points and 11.1 rebounds per game. Lexie Hamilton is averaging 13.8 points, 7.1 rebounds, 7.4 assists, and 2.6 steals per game, featuring two triple-doubles in the span of eight days at Anna Maria Feb. 1 (15 points, 11 rebounds, 14 assists) and against Lasell Feb. 8 (17 points, 10 rebounds, 12 assists).

This will be Colby-Sawyer's second trip to Higgins Court in the span of three weeks, as the Chargers nearly rallied all the way back from a 16-point deficit before the Pride held on for a 54-51 victory Feb. 4. Gonzalez and Sugars led their respective teams with identical double-doubles of 18 points and 13 rebounds. Bitinaitis and Hamilton also posted similar stats with 13 points and five assists apiece.

The winner of the Charger-Pride game will advance to the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament Thursday, Feb. 27, and take on the winner of the quarterfinal between second seed Saint Joseph's College and seventh seed Johnson & Wales. On the other side of the bracket, fifth seed Albertus Magnus travels to fourth seed Suffolk for a quarterfinal, while eighth seed Norwich heads into Boston to take on top seed Emmanuel.

The highest remaining seed will host the GNAC Women's Basketball Tournament championship game Saturday, Feb. 29. The 2020 GNAC champion will earn the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III Tournament, with the complete field announcement scheduled for Monday, March 2 at 2:30 p.m.