Bracket         Tournament Site        Selection Show Reaction

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – The Otterbein University women’s basketball program will make its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division III Tournament, receiving an at-large bid Monday afternoon.

The Cardinals were one of 21 at-large teams selected, learning they will open the 64-tournament against Maryville College (Tenn.) Friday at host DePauw University in Greencastle, Ind. Starting time has been set for 5 p.m.

DePauw, the nation’s top-ranked team at a perfect 28-0, will host La Roche College (Pa.) in the other opening round matchup at 7 p.m. or 30 minutes after the completion of game one.

“I’m not usually one to worry about things that I can’t control, but I found myself anxious today,” head coach Connie Richardson said. “I’m so happy for this program as a whole and for this special group of players. Watching them cheer when our name was called is something I won't forget.”

Otterbein (21-6) finished second in the Ohio Athletic Conference (OAC) regular-season standings, eventually falling in the league’s tournament championship to No. 3-ranked Ohio Northern University on Saturday evening.

“We don’t know much about Maryville right now, so it’s time to get to work,” Richardson said. “I can promise you that we won't just happy to be there. We’ll get prepared to put our best foot forward and represent the conference well come Friday.”

Senior Hannah Day led Otterbein’s offensive attack during the regular season, finishing top-5 among OAC players in scoring (16.7 ppg.), rebounding (6.9 rpg.), minutes played, and three-point percentage. Sophomore Tabatha Piper serves as a nice complement with 9.5 points, 6.9 rebounds, and an even two assists per game.

Seniors Rachel Snedegar, Chelsea Cannon, Allie Leopard, and sophomores Chelsea Reed and Madi Miller help make Otterbein both a consistent and balanced group at both ends of the floor, with Reed ranking 44^th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.67).

Maryville (23-4) finished 16-2 in the USA South Athletic Conference this season, good enough to tie for first with Ferrum and Christopher Newport. Maryville was the No. 3 seed in its league tournament, falling Newport in the semifinals.

The Scots will be making their 19th-all-time appearance in the big dance, a school record for any sport. Ranked No. 22 nationally at one point this season, the Scots rank third in Division III for three-point percentage (.388) and also feature a balanced attack with four players scoring in double figures.

First-team all-conference guard Janell Menard leads the way for Maryville at 13.2 ppg., followed by 12.3 ppg. from Kiera Payne. Nobody in Marysville’s eight-player rotation averages more than 27 minutes per game.

Backup point guard Lailah Farmer adds a nice change of pace, ranking 27^th in NCAA Division III for assist-to-turnover ratio (1.88).

Tickets will be $8 for adults and $4 for both children and seniors. Stay tuned to our schedule page for more tournament information along with live stats, audio, and video links.