Field Set for 2017-18 CCAA Women's Basketball Championship
SAN RAMON, Calif. – After hotly-contested races down to the final buzzer, California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) women’s basketball squads wrapped up the regular season on Saturday night. Eight teams have earned berths into the 2017-18 Women’s Basketball Championship field, led by No. 1 seed UC San Diego.
The Tritons sit atop the brackets for the second-straight season after finishing off league play with an impressive 21-1 record against CCAA opponents and an overall mark of 25-3. UC San Diego will take on the No. 8 seed Sonoma State, who advanced to the brackets after winning a tiebreaker against Cal State San Bernardino. The No. 1/8 pairing between the Tritons and Seawolves mirrors last season’s first-round matchup where UC San Diego prevailed, 53-46.
Riding a four-game streak into the postseason is the No. 2 seed, Cal Poly Pomona. The Broncos will host No. 7 Cal State Dominguez Hills on Tuesday. Cal Poly Pomona won both regular-season contests against the Toros, and the Broncos will have extra incentive to advance out of the first round. The final four will converge on Cal Poly Pomona’s home court March 2-3 for the opportunity to earn the CCAA’s automatic bid into the NCAA field.
No. 3 in the brackets belongs to Humboldt State after earning the tiebreaker over Chico State. The Jacks’ regular-season victory over their first-round opponent, No. 6 seed Cal State East Bay, proved to be the difference between the pair of 14-8 squads. The Pioneers, two-time defending tournament champions, will have an uphill battle to defend their title, as No. No. 6 seed, male or female, has ever taken the tournament crown.
The final first-round host is No. 4 Chico State, who will take on No. 5 Cal State LA for the third time this season. Both teams defended their home court in the regular-season meetings between the two, and both squads are entering the tournament after a solid final month of the regular season. The Wildcats earned wins in six of its last seven games, while the Golden Eagles won six-straight before dropping both of this weekend’s contests at Cal State San Marcos and UC San Diego.
The winners of each of the four quarterfinals will travel to the campus of Cal Poly Pomona for the final two rounds of the conference championship. Tickets will be available at the Kellogg Arena box office on gamedays, and general admission seating is $10. Students with a valid ID, seniors, members of the military and youth can purchase tickets for $5.
2017-18 CCAA Women’s Basketball Championship Schedule:
First Round – Tuesday, Feb. 27 (campus sites – higher seed hosts)
#1 UC San Diego vs. #8 Sonoma State at 5:30 p.m.
#2 Cal Poly Pomona vs. #7 Cal State Dominguez Hills at 5:30 p.m.
#3 Humboldt State vs. #6 Cal State East Bay
#4 Chico State vs. #5 Cal State LA at 5:30 p.m.
Semifinals – Friday, March 2
* 5:35 p.m. – winner of #1/8 vs. winner of #4/5
* 8:05 p.m. – winner of #2/7 vs. winner of #3/6
Final – Saturday, March 3
* 7:35 p.m. – Championship game
*times are subject to change; should Cal Poly Pomona men advance to the semifinals, but the women do not – game sessions will flip-flop, with the women playing first both days.