TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) - Washington & Jefferson College, who finished the regular season with the best conference record, has earned the top seed and home court advantage throughout the Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) Women's Basketball Tournament, which will be February 20-24.
The top six teams as determined through the regular season earned spots in this year's Championship Tournament, which will begin Tuesday, Feb. 20th with quarterfinal games. The winners will advance to the Tournament semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 22nd, while the PAC Tournament title game will be Saturday, Feb. 24th.
This is the second consecutive year W&J has earned the top spot in the Tournament. Head coach Jina DeRubbo led the Presidents, who were ranked sixth in the most recent NCAA Division III Region VII rankings, to a 23-2 overall record and a 19-1 mark in PAC action this season. W&J has won six PAC championships in program history, with the most recent coming in 2021-22.
As the top seed, the Presidents, along with second-seeded Chatham University (22-3, 18-2 PAC), have earned byes into the PAC semifinal round.The Cougars, who knocked off W&J in the PAC semifinals last year, won the first meeting with the Presidents this season on Nov. 18. W&J was victorious in the rematch in Washington on Jan. 20 to earn a split in the season series.
This year's PAC Tournament begins Tuesday with two quarterfinal match-ups, both scheduled for 7 p.m. tip-offs. One quarterfinal will feature third-seeded Bethany College (14-11, 12-8 PAC) hosting sixth seed and defending PAC champion Saint Vincent College (13-12, 11-9 PAC), while Tuesday's other match-up will be the four seed, Allegheny College (13-12, 12-8 PAC), taking on #5 Geneva College (12-13, 11-9 PAC) in Meadville.
In Thursday's semifinal round, the winner of the Allegheny/Geneva quarterfinal advances to play W&J, while the winner of Bethany/Saint Vincent will make the trip to Pittsburgh to take on Chatham. The W&J semifinal will tip-off at 7 p.m., while the semifinal at Chatham is scheduled for a 7:30 pm start
This year's title game is slated for Saturday, February 24, which will be played at the highest seed remaining following Thursday's semifinals.
The 2023 PAC Tournament Championship was claimed by Saint Vincent as the second seed, with the Bearcats overcoming a seven-point halftime deficit to pull away late for a 68-52 victory over #4 Chatham.
Admission is $5 for adults and $2 for students. PAC and institutional passes are not accepted at PAC Championship events. Students from PAC host institutions will be admitted for free with a valid college ID.
For fans following the Tournament, The PAC Sports Network will be at Tuesday's quarterfinal at Bethany, have the call of the semifinal match-up at Chatham Thursday and have coverage at the highest remaining seed for the PAC Championship Game Saturday. Video broadcasts for the quarterfinal game at Allegheny and the semifinal contest at W&J can be found on the PAC Digital Network.
The winner of the PAC’s Championship Tournament will receive the league's automatic qualifying bid to this year's Division III Championship Tournament. The selected Division III Championship teams, as well as the first and second round site selections, will be announced Monday, February 26. First and second round games are scheduled for Friday-Saturday, March 1-2.
2023-24 Presidents' Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship Tournament schedule
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, February 20 - campus sites
#5 Geneva (12-13, 11-9 PAC) at #4 Allegheny (13-12, 12-8 PAC) - 7 p.m.
#6 Saint Vincent (13-12, 11-9 PAC) at #3 Bethany (14-11, 12-8 PAC) - 7 p.m.
Semifinals - Thursday, February 22 - campus sites
ALL/GEN winner at #1 Washington & Jefferson (23-2, 19-1 PAC) - 7 p.m.
BET/SVC winner at #2 Chatham (22-3, 18-2 PAC) - 7:30 p.m.
Championship - Saturday, February 24
At highest remaining seed - time TBA