UNC Pembroke Draws Catawba in NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament

UNC Pembroke Draws Catawba in NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball National Tournament

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GREENVILLE, S.C. – UNC Pembroke won the 2023 Atlantic Casualty Conference Carolinas Women’s Basketball Championship and received the automatic bid to the 2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Championship where they will face Southeast Region No. 1 seed Catawba on Friday, March 9 at 5 p.m. in Salisbury, North Carolina. This is the first NCAA tournament appearance for the Braves. 

The Braves are 22-9 on the season and are led by tournament most outstanding player, Kalaya Hall and all-tournament selection Zaria Clark who combined to average 21.1 points per game and 11.3 rebounds per contest.

The UNCP - Catawba (22-5) winner will square off against fourth-seeded Lenoir-Rhyne (24-7) or fifth-seeded Clayton State (18-11) in the second round. In the other part of the bracket No. 2 Wingate (22-7) faces No. 7 North Georgia (19-10) and No. 3 Georgia Southwestern (24-6) faces No. 6 USC Aiken (18-11). 

Catawba lost in the South Atlantic Conference semifinals to Lenoir-Rhyne. This will be the 21st meeting between the Braves and Indians. UNC Pembroke leads the all-time series 17-3 and defeated Catawba in Pembroke on Dec. 19, 67-58.

Twenty-three conferences have been awarded automatic qualification. The remaining 41 teams were selected at large by the committee. Eight eight-team regionals will be played at on-campus sites March 9-13. The eight regional champions advancing to the Women’s Elite Eight will be seeded by the Women's Basketball Committee after completion of the regionals. The quarterfinals and semifinals of the 2023 NCAA Division II Women’s Elite Eight will be held at the St. Joseph Civic Arena in St. Joseph, Missouri, March 20 and 22. Missouri Western State University and the St. Joseph Sports Commission will serve as hosts.

The championship game will be contested April 1 at American Airlines Center in Dallas, in conjunction with the NCAA Women’s Final Four.

Fans can watch the full selection show video here. The interactive tournament bracket is available here. Read the UNC Pembroke release here.