PITTSBURGH, Pa. - La Roche women's basketball is set to tip-off the NCAA Tournament on Friday, earning its bid by regaining its throne atop the AMCC, defeating Penn State Behrend in the AMCC Championship Final.
La Roche won its four titles in five seasons and 11th of the last 14 years, defeating the Lions, 67-55 this past Saturday.
Now sitting 22-5 overall, the Redhawks will open the NCAA Tournament with a matchup against group host, Baldwin Wallace.
This is not the first time the two teams have met, as La Roche welcomed the Yellow Jackets to the Kerr Fitness Center on Tuesday, Nov. 26, the fifth game of the season.
It was Baldwin Wallace who took the victory, 70-62, in a hard-fought matchup.
Emily Irwin of the Yellow Jackets led the game with 26 points, while Laura McCoy followed with 12 points of the bench for the victors.
The Redhawks had three players in double figures, including J'La Kizart's 16 points, five rebounds and five steals leading the way, followed by Jazmine Dunn's 15 points and Dasja Anderson's 14 points and seven rebounds.
Baldwin Wallace and La Roche have meet each of the last four years, with the Yellow Jackets taking every matchup.
The Redhawks will look to do what has never been done by a previous La Roche team and has only been done four times in women's basketball in the AMCC, win a tournament game.
The last time the AMCC won an NCAA Tournament game was Medaille's, 64-63 win over Lebanon Valley in 2010. Medaille has won three of the four NCAA Tournament games in the AMCC's history in women's basketball, the other, Pitt-Greensburg.
No AMCC team has ever made it out of opening weekend in the tournament during the conference's tenure.
Baldwin Wallace is 1-0 against AMCC opponents in First Round matchups, defeating Pitt-Greensburg, 52-44, in 2009.
Entering the tournament, the Redhawks boast three double-digit scorers, all of which were the trio named to the AMCC's Second Team, led by Alexis Robison, averaging 14.3 points.
Dasja Anderson follows averaging 13.2 points, while Jazmine Dunn is hitting for 12.1 per game. This duo were named to the AMCC All-Tournament Team.
Anderson also leads the team in rebounding, averaging 6.5 a game. Dunn also contributed five rebounds, as well as an AMCC leading 4.7 assists per game.