Men’s basketball plays the first round of the NCAA Division III championship tournament competition at 6 p.m. on Friday, March 5.
By Joe Wasiluk | March 2, 2010
Norfolk/Virginia Beach, Va. - Virginia Wesleyan College's men’s basketball will begin the 2010 NCAA Division III championship tournament competition on Friday, March 5, at 6 p.m. against Richard Stockton College of New Jersey at the Athletics and Recreation Center on the campus of St. Mary's College in St. Mary's, Md.Tickets are $6 for adults; $3 for senior citizens (55 and over), students and children. Tickets can be purchased in the College’s Business Office until 4:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 4.
St. Mary's, the host institution, will compete against Purchase College of New York in Friday's 8 p.m. game. The winners of Friday's games advance to Saturday's 7 p.m. contest for the right to advance to the Sectional tournament slated for March 12-13 at a site to be determined.
Virginia Wesleyan, ranked No. 11 nationally, carries a 22-5 record into its sixth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance and 10th overall. Coach David Macedo has been at the helm of the Marlins program for 10 years and led Virginia Wesleyan to the Division III national championship in 2006 and to the runner-up spot in 2007. Marlin teams have produced a 13-10 record in NCAA tournament play, including a 12-4 mark under Macedo. Senior Stephen Fields (Hampton, Va./Hampton), ranked No. 28 nationally in scoring at 21 points per game, was a member of the 2007 national runner-up squad.
The Ospreys of Richard Stockton enter the tournament with a 20-7 record and as the runner-up in the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament. Richard Stockton is making its third consecutive NCAA tourney appearance and its 13th overall. The Ospreys are led by three starters from last year's 30-3 team that finished as the national runner-up. Four Ospreys own double-figure scoring averages, led by senior Santini Lancioni (Runnemede, N.J./Paul VI), a 5-foot-9 guard who puts in 15 points per game.
Purchase College, located in Purchase, N.Y., is a member of the State University of New York academic system. The Panthers head to their first NCAA tournment as the 2010 Skyline Conference champions. Purchase, now 20-8, is also led by four players in double-figure scoring, topped by junior Marvin Billups (Chester, N.Y./Monroe-Woodbury-Notre Dame), who averages 20.2 points per game and ranks No. 39 nationally in scoring.
The Panthers will face the host Seahawks of St. Mary's College, who are the reigning Capital Athletic Conference champions. St. Mary's, in the NCAA tournament for the second time, are led by Camontae Griffin (Baltimore, Md./Dunbar), who ranks No. 19 nationally in scoring with 21.6 points per outing. St. Mary's is currently ranked No. 13 nationally.
Tickets for the tournament are on sale at each host institution at $6 for adults and $3 for senior citizens (55 and over), students and children.
For more information, contact Athletics at 757.455.3303.
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