ECAC Tournament Central | ECAC Tournament Bracket

WAYNE, N.J. – The William Paterson women's basketball team (19-8, 14-4 NJAC) enters the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Tournament as the second overall seed, earning hosting duties as the top seed in Pod 2.

THE POD 2 FIELD
Quarterfinals - Saturday, March 8
Game 1: No. 1 William Paterson vs. No. 4 Baruch – 12:00 p.m.
Game 2: No. 2 Hunter vs. No. 3 Goucher – 3:00 p.m.

Semifinal - Sunday, March 9
Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 1:00 p.m.
 
TICKETS

• Tickets for the games are $5.00 for adults; $2.00 for children, visiting students, and senior citizens.
• Free tickets will be granted to all William Paterson students with a valid WP ID who attend the Pioneers' ECAC Tournament quarterfinal game courtesy of the division of student development

HOW TO CATCH THE ACTION

• No. 1 William Paterson vs. No. 4 Baruch: live statistics | live video
• No. 2 Hunter vs. No. 3 Goucher: live statistics | live video
• Semifinal Game: live statistics | live video

 
WHERE

• Sports and Recreation Center; Wayne, N.J.

 
WHAT'S AT STAKE

• The winner of the matchup between William Paterson and Baruch will advance to the semifinals Sunday, March 9, at 1:00 p.m. against the winner of Hunter and Goucher. The semifinal round winners from Pod 1 and Pod 2 will then face off in the championship game Saturday, March 15, with the location and time to be determined.

 
WP IN THE ECAC TOURNAMENT

• The Pioneers are making their seventh appearance in the ECAC Tournament in program history and are seeking their third ECAC title after previously winning the championship in 1990 and 2018.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS

• William Paterson capped its 2024-25 regular season with a 19-8 overall mark and 14-4 record in conference play. The 19 wins are the most in a campaign since the 2012-13 team finished 21-8, while the 14 New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victories are the most since the 1999-2000 squad went 15-3.
• The Pioneers earned the third seed in the NJAC Tournament and bested sixth-seeded New Jersey City, 55-54, in the quarterfinals before falling, 67-55, at second-seeded Montclair State in the semifinals.
• WP played to a 10-2 record at home and have won nine of their last 10 outings at the Sports and Recreation Center.
• Graduate student Brianna Smith (Hillsdale, N.J./Pascack Valley) was named to the All-NJAC Second Team after leading the Pioneers with 14.0 points per game. She has reached double-digit scoring in 13 consecutive outings, averaging 16.3 points per tilt during that stretch with 29 made shots from deep.
• Junior Renee Wells (Leonardo, N.J./Middletown South) was named to the All-NJAC Honorable Mention, finishing second on the team with 13.3 points per contest to go with 5.1 rebounds, 1.9 steals and a team-high 2.6 assists per game.
• Junior Patty Walsh (Middletown, N.J./Middletown North) averages 9.4 points and a team-best 6.7 rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. The Middletown, N.J., recorded a double-double against Montclair State in the NJAC Tournament after scoring 14 points and reeling in 12 boards.

SCOUTING THE BEARCATS

• Baruch finished with a 14-11 overall mark and 11-3 record in the City University of New York Athletic Conference (CUNYAC).
• The Bearcats were the second seed in the conference tournament and fell, 62-48, in the semifinals to third-seeded Brooklyn.
• Prior to their CUNYAC Tournament loss, the Bearcats won 11 of 12 outings.
• Maria Castillo, the nation's leading scorer, has paced Baruch during her senior season by averaging 27.3 points, 6.6 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 5.1 steals per game. She is tied for third at the Division III level in assists per game and owns a 1.53 assist/turnover ratio.
• Senior Elisa Leung is second on the team in scoring with 12.2 points per contest, adding 3.2 assists and 2.8 rebounds per tilt.

 
 SCOUTING THE HAWKS

• Hunter went 20-6 during the 2024-25 season with a 13-1 record in in the CUNYAC to earn the top seed in the conference tournament.
• After besting fourth-seeded John Jay, 73-62, in the semifinals, the Hawks were topped, 59-54, by third-seeded Brooklyn in the title game.  
• The Hawks were a flawless 11-0 at home but 9-6 away from the Hunter Sportsplex.
• Junior Alexa Charles ranks second in the nation in scoring with 26.5 points per game while shooting 51 percent (271-of-537) from the field. She also leads Hunter with 11.0 rebounds and 4.6 steals per outing.
• Senior Erin Cosio averages 9.0 points per game, which is good for second on the team.

SCOUTING THE GOPHERS

• Goucher posted a 13-win turnaround to compile a 14-12 overall record after finishing 1-24 a season ago. During the 2024-25 campaign, the Gophers recorded a 7-11 mark in the Landmark Conference.
• The Gophers made the conference tournament as the sixth seed and fell, 117-71, to third-seeded Catholic in the quarterfinals.
• Freshman Meona Boykin paces Goucher offensively with 17.5 points per game while contributing a team-high 6.3 rebounds and 4.2 steals per contest.
• Graduate student Amira Whitaker averages 14.3 points per tilt to go with 1.7 assists and 1.5 steals per game.

 
FOLLOW THE PIONEERS

• http://www.wpupioneers.com/socialmedia