BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament pairings have been announced and the Bridgewater State University Bears will travel to Grantham, Pennsylvania to take on #11 Messiah University in an opening round contest on Friday night, March 3rd at 7:00 PM.

Messiah (25-2) is hosting a four-team pod at Jordan Court in Hitchcock Arena with #6 New York University (22-2) taking on Greensboro College (26-2) in the other first round match-up. The winners will advance to play a second round game on Saturday night at 7:00 PM also at Messiah.

Bridgewater State will be making its' first NCAA Tournament appearance since 2015 and 11th overall. The Bears made five straight trips to the national tournament from 2011 to 2015, another in 2008, and four in a row from 1983 to 1986.

BSU enters the tournament with an overall mark of 21-6. Bridgewater earned the automatic qualifier to the NCAAs by winning the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference (MASCAC) Tournament championship on Sunday with a remarkable 64-59 comeback victory over third-seeded Westfield State University. The Bears, who overcame a 23-point second half deficit in the championship game, were the top seed at the MASCAC Tournament after posting a 10-2 conference mark during the regular season.

The BSU women's basketball team is under the watchful eye of 26-year head coach, Bridgett Casey. The four-time (2008, 2010, 2012, 2013) MASCAC Coach of the Year sports a career mark of 377-280 (.574) including a conference regular season record of 195-105 (.650). Casey's 377 wins are by far the most in program history as she is the only BSU women's basketball coach to reach not only the 300-win milestone but also the 200-win plateau.

The Messiah University Falcons earned their spot in the National Tournament by way of a 60-37 victory over the Alvernia Golden Wolves on Saturday evening in the MAC Commonwealth Championship. Messiah claimed their seventh-straight MAC Commonwealth Championship with the victory and punched their ticket to their 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The Falcons hold an overall record of 30-20 in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the National Championship Game on two occasions (2001 and 2008). Recently, Messiah has advanced as far as the Sweet 16 in 2013, 2018, 2019, and 2020. Last season, Messiah dropped a tight, 73-68 game in the First Round against Springfield College.

Bridgewater and Messiah have met just once with the Falcons posting a 76-58 win over the Bears at the St. Pete Classic in St. Petersburg, Florida on December 20, 2021.

The NYU Violets are making their 22nd appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship this season. The Violets hold a 22-2 overall record and went 12-2 in the brutal UAA this season. They were ranked No. 7 in the country in the most recent Coaches Poll. NYU holds a 34-23 overall record in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Final Four on three occasions, including their National Championship winning season of 1997.

The Greensboro College Pride won the USA South Conference Championship with a 97-90 victory over North Carolina Wesleyan on Saturday. The victory was the seventh conference championship in program history for the Pride. Greensboro has gone 4-7 in their previous seven appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

NYU was ranked sixth in the most recent D3hoops.com Poll while Messiah was ranked 11th and Greensboro received votes. In the most recent WBCA Division III poll, NYU is ranked seventh and Messiah checks in at #9. The NCAA Division III Top 16 Committee listed NYU at #4. The NCAA Division III Regional Rankings have NYU at #1 in Region Four, Messiah at #2 in Region Five and Bridgewater State at #5 in Region One.

The 2023 NCAA Division III Women’s Basketball Tournament features a field of 64 teams. Forty-four conferences have been awarded automatic qualification for the 2023 championship.  There was one berth reserved for Pool B and the final 19 berths were reserved for Pool C, which includes institutions from automatic-qualifying conferences that are not the conference champion and any remaining Pool B teams.

Sixteen first/second-round sites will be conducted March 3-4.  Second-round winners will advance to one of four sectional sites March 10-11.  Winners of the four sectional sites will advance to the national semifinals March 18. All games, except the semifinals and final, will be played on the campuses of competing institutions.  The semifinals will be conducted at Oosting Gymnasium in Hartford, Connecticut, hosted by Trinity College (Connecticut).

For only the second time in the 41-year history of NCAA women’s basketball, the NCAA Division II and III national championships will be decided at the Women’s Final Four site. Both games will be Saturday, April 1, at the American Airlines Center, with the Division III championship game tipping at 11 a.m. Central time, followed by the Division II title game at 2:30 p.m. Central time. Both games will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network.

2023 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Interactive Bracket | 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Printable Bracket (PDF) | 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Tournament Program (PDF) |