ROSEMONT – According to Mapquest, it is 2.3 miles between Rosemont and Haverford College by way of Montgomery Avenue.
On a good day, it can take you six minutes. On a bad day, slightly longer.
On Friday night, when the two schools meet in the NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament- it will be slightly more lengthy journey to Tufts University just north of Boston- 322 miles from Rosemont’s campus.
And yet, nobody seemed to mind that at Cardinal Hall on Monday afternoon as the Ravens named appeared for the first time on an NCAA Tournament bracket. It was a big celebration and the finale for a day that has never quite been seen before in Rosemont athletics.
Renny was there. A lot of students, faculty and administrators filled out behind the team in the cafeteria. And there was a loud roar when the bracket was revealed and a familiar foe appeared.
The Fords finished the season at 21-6, winning the Centennial Conference by beating Gettysburg 64-40 in the conference title game last weekend. They are lead in scoring by senior guard Macy Goldbach, who averaged 13.3 points per game this season. Anna-Sophia Capizzi averages 11.7 while Megan Furch is the leading inside threat, averaging 10.2 points and six rebounds per game.
In a sense, both teams are mirror images of each other on the defensive end. Rosemont held their opponents to 31.9 percent from the floor overall. Haverford is at 33.5.
The Ravens are lead by inside threat and Colonial States Athletic Conference Player of the Year Ashley Murray, who averaged a double-double on the season. Point guard Ayanna THompson is coming off an MVP performance in the CSAC championship game while Ke’alohilani Naone-Carter is averaging 11.5 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The winner on Friday will take on either Tufts or Western New England on Saturday to advance to the second weekend of the 64-team tournament
