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PINEVILLE, La. – The brackets for the 2010 Division III Women’s Basketball Championship was announced Monday, and Louisiana College will have their hands full with their first round match-up as they must travel to the state of Oregon for their draw against defending national champion George Fox.

LC will be the American Southwest Conference's only representative in the NCAA tournament. The last time the league had only one team in the postseason was 2005. Howard Payne (21-6), the 2008 national champion, and Mary Hardin-Baylor (21-6) were regionally ranked but failed to receive a Pool C bid.

The Wildcats qualified for the tournament automatically thanks to their 72-69 victory over McMurry in Sunday’s ASC tournament final.

Waiting for the Lady Cats in the Pacific Northwest is fifth-ranked George Fox. The game is scheduled for 9 p.m. Central Friday night.

The Bruins of George Fox compiled an impressive 25-2 record this season, going a perfect 16-0 in the Northwest Conference. This past weekend, they steamrolled to two easy wins en route to the Northwest Conference title, and have now won 21 straight games.

The Bruins are outscoring their opponents by an average of almost 18 points per game. They also average nine steals and five blocked shots per game, but may be able to be beaten on the boards, as Hannah Munger, their leading rebounder, averages only seven rebounds a game.

The Bruins are led in scoring by Keisha Gordon, who is averaging just over 14 points per game and Munger, averaging 12 points.

LC has three scorers averaging in double digits, with Voneshia Williams (13), Christy Pantallion (14) and Tillisha Givens (16), who was named ASC tournament MVP this past weekend.

Lady Cats head coach Janice Joseph-Richard will be trying to gather as much information about George Fox in the next few days, as the Wildcats have a first-round foe that they are very unfamiliar with.

“I’m definitely excited about making it to the national tournament,” Coach Richard said. “I’m still trying to figure out how the committee put us against the defending champs in the first round in their place.”

It does seem like a questionable decision, especially when you consider that two nationally ranked teams  will be playing on the campus of George Fox.

Last season, the Bruins were a perfect 32-0 and defeated Washington University in St. Louis 60-53 in the NCAA Division 3 title game. They are back as a top-seed in the tournament again this year, and have not lost a game since December 5th of last year.

“I don’t know exactly what goes into making the selection. I would have thought being in the top 20 that we would not have played a ranked team going into the first round,” said Coach Richard. “I’m sure
that George Fox feels the same way.”

The Wildcats will fly out to Oregon on Wednesday and could play two regional games this weekend if they advance past George Fox.

-Courtesy Louisiana College Sports Information Department