Women's Hoops Heads to Gettysburg College to Battle WNE in NCAA Tournament First Round

MEDFORD, MA (March 6, 2025) - The Tufts University women's basketball team received an at-large bid to the 2025 Division III NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament and were selected to play Western New England University in the first round of competition at the host venue Gettysburg College in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Tip off for the first round is Friday, March 7 at 4:30 pm. Gettysburg will play Stevens Institute of Technology in the later game at 7:00 pm.

Tournament Details:
Tournament Website
Game 1: Tufts vs. Western New England - 4:30 pm
Game 2: Gettysburg vs. Stevens - 7:00 pm
Date: Friday, March 7, 2025
Location: Bream Gym - Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Live Coverage: Live Stats - Live Video

Tufts All-Time Versus Western New England:
Friday will be the sixth meeting between the Jumbos and the Golden Bears, with the first coming in the 1993 season and the most recent being in the 2019 Division III NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament. Tufts has won each of their five prior meetings, with the 2019 bout ending 70-44 in favor of the Jumbos. The closest game between the two was their second meeting in 1994, a 63-55 victory for the Jumbos.

A Look at Tufts (15-10, 5-5 NESCAC):
The Jumbos enter the 2025 Division III NCAA Women's Basketball Championship Tournament after receiving an at-large bid to participate in the competition. Their last time taking the court saw them fall at the hands of Trinity College (Conn.) in a heartbreaking double overtime game in the NESCAC Tournament. The Jumbos are 1-2 against ranked opponents this year, although all three of those opponents have been in the top 10 and one of the losses was a 57-60 nailbiter versus No. 3 Scranton.

A very stingy squad, the Jumbos boast a defense that can slow down even the most efficient of teams. Tufts allowed the third fewest points per game in the NESCAC this season (59.1). Backed by the active hands of the number two steals per game leader in the NESCAC and 2025 NESCAC All-Conference First Team selection, Sofia Gonzalez, Tufts' defense is a force to be reckoned with.

Gonzalez also paces the Jumbos on offense, leading the team and sitting top 10 in the NESCAC with 13.4 points per game on 34/31/72 shooting in her senior season with Tufts. 2025 NESCAC Rookie of the Year Monet Witherspoon has had a fantastic start to her Tufts career, scoring 11.6 points per game on 45/37/80 shooting. 

Sophomore Stella Gaines stands as a solid three-point threat, leading the team in accuracy from downtown, making 37.9% of her shots from beyond the arc. Graduate student Hannah Kelly also can shoot from range, making 32.5% of her three-pointers.

Senior Annika Decker is the engine of the Tufts offense, posing an all-around scoring threat and leading the team with 90 assists for the second most in the conference. Graduate student Callie O'Brien provides stability and energy off the bench, totalling 32 assists with 11 steals. Senior Caitlyn O'Boyle dominates on the glass, leading the team in rebounds with 7.1 per game, a top-10 mark in the NESCAC. 

Tufts are returning to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year, and look to build off of their 12 Sweet 16 appearances since 2008.

Scouting the Golden Bears (24-3, 16-2 CNE):

Western New England University enters the tournament after receiving an at-large bid. Their last time on the floor was a 58-64 loss to Endicott College in the CNE Tournament. 

A well-rounded bunch, the Golden Bears feature the number three offense in the CNE at 67.8 points per game and the stingiest defense in the conference at 54.1 points against per game. 

Senior Lily Hedge posted career numbers in virtually every statistical category en route to being named the 2025 CNE Player of the Year. She averaged a clean 11.0 points per game on 44/25/78 shooting with 7.8 rebounds per game and 45 steals with 30 blocks. She leads the Golden Bears in all of those numbers, and is the primary threat all around the court.

Fellow Senior Shaina Cooney was named to the CNE All-Conference Second Team, and her numbers show why. The guard averaged 10.6 points per game to rival Hedge's 11.0, and shot for a slash line of 46/20/60. She also averaged 5.7 rebounds per game, and is a prime example of the Golden Bears mentality; they are a proficient team in nearly all aspects of the game.

The defense's best statistic is their rebound margin. They boast the fifth best margin in the country at 12.3, which shows that they dominate opponents on the glass. Their only area of weakness is their shooting from the line, which sits sixth in the CNE at just 68%.

On Gettysburg (25-2) and Stevens (19-8):

The second first round game of the day will be between Gettysburg College and Stevens Institute of Technology. 

The Stevens Ducks enter the tournament as winners of seven straight, including a MAC Freedom Championship win over DeSales to claim the conference autobid in the NCAA Tournament.

The Ducks are another all-around squad that feature the number two offense and number three defense in their conference. They average a solid 63.9 points per game with only 58.8 points per game allowed. 

Junior Leyla Castro paces the Ducks in scoring with 14.0 points per game on 32/33/68 shooting. Her senior teammate Lucy Alberici sits just behind her in scoring at 13.9 points per game on 42/30/78 shooting. 

Sophomore guard Kay Decker is the rebound leader for the Ducks, averaging 7.1 per game on the second best rebounding team in the conference.

The Gettysburg Bullets enter the tournament as winners of seven straight as well. They claimed the title in the Centennial Conference Tournament with a 68-60 overtime win over Johns Hopkins, and currently hold the No. 15 ranking on D3Hoops.com.

A very strong squad, the Bullets hold the number two offense in the Centennial Conference and the best defense. They average 67.9 points per game and allow an impressive 47.7 per game.

Their stingy defense is anchored by the 2025 Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Year, Shinya Lee. The senior tallied a dominant 78 blocks, stole the ball 39 times, and still managed to average 10.1 points per game on offense. She is dominant on the glass as well, averaging 9.8 rebounds per game to barely miss out on the double-double average. 

Lee's teammate Alayna Arnolie is the offensive engine for the Bullets, averaging 15.6 points per game on 39/27/76 shooting. Arnolie was named to the 2025 Centennial All-Conference First Team. Her teammate Mackenzie Szlosek is the last Bullet to average over 10 points per game, averaging 10.3 per game on 59/17/100 shooting.

Should Tufts and Gettysburg advance, it would be their first meeting in program history. Should Tufts and Stevens advance, it would be just their second clash, with the first being a 62-49 Tufts win in December of 2022.