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For Immediate Release March 14, 2008 Women’s Contact: Ralph Ventre (ext. 7)

NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Preview Defending Champ Robert Morris Hosts Preseason Favorite Long Island For Chance to Dance Moon Township, PA -- The defending champion rides a 16-game win streak into its encounter with the preseason favorite. The 2007 NEC Player 2008 NEC Women’s Basketball Tournament of the Year confronts the woman that dethroned her. The league’s top Quarterfinals scoring offense attempts to break the No. 1 scoring defense with an NCAA Saturday, March 8 at LIU (Downtown Brooklyn, NY) Tournament berth awaiting the victor. No. 1 Quinnipiac 66, No. 8 Mount St. Mary's 56 No. 4 Long Island 64, No. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson 53 Storylines are plentiful for Sunday’s Northeast Conference Championship No. 2 Robert Morris 77, No. 7 St. Francis (NY) 62 game between the home-standing Robert Morris Colonials and challenging No. 6 Monmouth 75, No. 3 Sacred Heart 70 Long Island Blackbirds, but those hoping to see the tournament’s No. 1 seed will be grossly disappointed. Semifinals Sunday, March 9 at LIU (Downtown Brooklyn, NY) For the second consecutive year, the NEC will crown a tournament No. 4 Long Island 67, No. 1 Quinnipiac 63 champion without the top seed present. Since discontinuing the six-team No. 2 Robert Morris 67, No. 6 Monmouth 52 bracket following the 1993 tournament, only three top seeds have failed to reach the final. Prior to last year’s clash between the second-seeded Championship Colonials and No. 3 Sacred Heart, only the 1999 final lacked a top seed Sunday, March 16 at RMU (Moon Twp., PA) during the current era. No. 2. Robert Morris vs. No. 4 Long Island 3:00 pm on ESPNU Throughout its 22-year history, the NEC Women’s Basketball Tournament has been a pleasant place for top seeds. Only five No. 1 seeds have ever missed the championship round and top seeds have been the last one standing in 12 of the prior 21 years.

Seeded second once again after another share of the regular season crown, the Colonials look to capture back-to-back tournament titles. Reigning NEC Player of the Year Sade Logan (Knoxville, TN/Chattanooga State), a junior college transfer, was not in the Sewall Center when RMU claimed last year’s prize, but the nation’s second leader scoring is a main reason why the Colonials will be looking for a repeat on their home floor.

Only five three-pointers away from tying the all-time NCAA single-season record of 126 by Lisa McMullen of Alabama State in 1991, Logan has torched the NEC record book with an unprecedented, season-long offensive display. With a 25.4 ppg scoring average, 121 three-pointers made, and 787 total points, Logan has claimed ownership of three NEC single-season records.

“Sade’s a competitor and she performed extremely well against a tough non-conference schedule. She’s a high level player and I think she’ll rise even higher with the opportunity to play on this stage here,” said head coach Sal Buscaglia prior to the start of the 2008 NEC Tournament.

(2008 NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Preview; 1-of-4) Central Connecticut State University • Fairleigh Dickinson University • Long Island University • Mount St. Mary’s University • Robert Morris Unviersity • Sacred Heart University • St. Francis (NY) College Saint Francis (PA) University • Wagner College Logan has made good on her coach’s words thus far. The 6’0" guard followed up a 25-point outing in a77-62 quarterfinal victory over St. Francis (NY) with the third-highest single-game point total (38) in NEC Tournament history during a 67-52 semifinal triumph over Monmouth. Logan powered the Colonials past the Hawks by netting a tournament record seven three-pointers and tying the 21-year old mark of 15 field goals made.

Logan’s stiffest test of the tournament, and arguably all season, awaits her on Sunday when she will go up against the NEC’s top scoring defense.

Logan scored a combined 46 points on 20-of-33 shooting in her two regular season encounters with LIU, both eight-point Robert Morris victories, but Sunday’s stakes are a lot higher.

“Our defense is right where it needs to be right now,” said LIU head coach Stephanie V. Gaitley, a 22-year veteran on the sidelines. “We’re playing very well right now.”

Vying to become the first No. 4 seed to win it all since the 1991 Colonials, the preseason favorite Blackbirds have surrendered a league-low 53.7 points per game this season while featuring the NEC’s second-leading scorer in the offensive end.

Sophomore guard Valerie Nainima (Suva, Fiji/St. Joseph’s Secondary) became the first woman to win both the NEC Player and Rookie of the Year awards in the same season a year ago. The two-time all-NEC first team selection increased her scoring output from the 17.8 points per contest of her rookie campaign to the current 20.4 ppg clip, but missed out on a second straight Player of the Year accolade due to the emergence of Logan.

“Valerie is having an even better year than last if that’s possible,” exclaimed Gaitley, who notched her 400th career coaching victory on February 4 at Wagner.

Nainima, whose return to the LIU lineup was undoubtedly a factor in the Blackbirds’ No. 1 preseason ranking, propelled her team to a 13- 5 NEC regular season mark and has not slowed down this postseason. The 5’5" Fijian guard, who averages 5.7 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game, made certain the Blackbirds avoided a second consecutive first round upset by tallying 20 points and nine rebounds in a 64-53 quarterfinal victory over fifth-seeded Fairleigh Dickinson. Next, she poured in 23 points to thwart top-seeded Quinnipiac, 67-63, and propel the Blackbirds into their first tournament title game since 2002.

Long Island last won a championship game in 2001 when they conquered Mount St. Marys (70-61), and if that is to change on Sunday it will have as much to do with Nainima as it does with her strong supporting cast.

“We’re getting different kids contributing on different nights,” said Gaitley.

Fighting through a season-long shoulder ailment, LIU senior guard Mikaelar Whippy (Suva, Fiji/Church College of New Zealand) is averaging 11 points and five rebounds per game this tournament and has sunk 10-of-15 shots.

After earning NEC All-Rookie honors, LIU freshman forward Chelsi Johnson (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Holy Spirit) further elevated her game when the calendar changed to March. The 6’0" versatile forward, who has made 11-of-20 shot attempts during the first two postseason games of her career, opened the tournament with 19 points and six rebounds against the Knights. Next, she posted a double-double of 12 points and 14 boards to sink the No. 1 Bobcats while connecting on two momentum-changing three-pointers.

“Chelsi is peaking at the right time and is gaining confidence in the offense. She’s obviously a tremendous rebounder, but she’s a good defender as well,” admired Gaitley.

The Colonials’ high-flying attack, which scores 73.5 ppg, features two-time first team all-conference forward Chinata Nesbit (Washington, DC/Chipola JC). An all-around complete player, the veteran forward, who has a league-best 12 double-doubles, enters the title bout off her triple-double performance of 18 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assists in last Saturday’s quarterfinal.

Fourteen of the 24 rebounds came on the offensive glass where junior guard Angela Pace (Westchester, NY/Woodlands) collected nine of her 17 boards that game.

“I felt like we just needed to step up,” said Nesbit of her and Pace’s combined rebounding effort that totaled 10 more boards than the entire St. Francis (NY) team. “We just wanted to do what we needed to win. If that’s rebound, then that’s what we’ll do.”

(2008 NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Preview; 2-of-4) Buscaglia, who has engineered a renaissance at Robert Morris after taking over a team that won a combined seven games in the three seasons prior to his arrival, notes the importance of seasoned veteran Kendra Williams (Bronx, NY/Mount Saint Ursula) and Psyche Butler (Fort Worth, TX/New Mexico JC).

Butler, who is regarded by Buscaglia as a top defender, missed the first two tournament games due to a concussion suffered in the regular season finale, but is day-to-day. Williams, who averages 7.7 points per contest, is one of only two Colonials to start all 31 games.

“Butler and Kendra hold are team together,” said Buscaglia, who is nearing the 600-win mark. “Their leadership and experience give us a great core. We have talent and core leadership that will hopefully carry us.”

So, the week-long hiatus between last weekend’s tournament games and the title bout is nearing a close. The stage is set. The leading roles are in place and the supporting casts are strong.

Two marquee players, two well-accomplished coaches, and two of the NEC’s top teams will all be on hand at the Sewall Center, but only one will be dancing in the finale.

The 2008 Northeast Conference Championship Game presented by ESurance tips off at 3:00 pm on Sunday, March 16. The 22nd annual NEC title game will be available to a national television audience on ESPNU.

(2008 NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Preview; 3-of-4) Title Game Tidbits No. 4 Long Island Blackbirds (24-7, 13-5 NEC) Long Island make its first title game appearance since 2002 when the Blackbirds succumbed to Saint Francis (PA), 74-54. The Blackbirds won their only NEC title the year before, downing Mount St. Mary’s, 70-61, in the final. The Blackbirds pieced together the NEC’s second-longest win streak this season, winning nine straight games from November 23 (Youngstown State) through December 30 (UNLV). Long Island ousted the tournament’s top seed in the semifinal round, downing Quinnipiac, 67-63. The Blackbirds overcame a 37-point effort from Quinnipiac guard Erin Kerner thanks to 23 points from sophomore guard Valerie Nainima (Suva, Fiji/St. Joseph’s Secondary) and a double-double of 12 points and 14 rebounds from freshman forward Chelsi Johnson (Egg Harbor Twp., NJ/Holy Spirit). Avenging last year’s quarterfinal upset loss to St. Francis (NY), Long Island bounced No. 5 Fairleigh Dickinson, 64-53, in last Saturday’s quarterfinal round. Nainima tallied 20 points and nine rebounds while Johnson added 19 points and six boards. The Blackbirds have been amongst the NEC Tournament’s final four on five occasions since 2001. Prior to its current run, Long Island last advanced past the quarters by knocking off Monmouth in 2006 before falling to eventual champion Sacred Heart in its semifinal matchup. The Blackbirds were this year’s NEC preseason favorite, receiving six first-place votes in a poll of the league’s head coaches. Head coach Stephanie V. Gaitley is one of two current NEC coaches with more than 400 career victories to her credit, the other is her opponent on Sunday. Gaitley, who spent 15 seasons at the helm of current Atlantic 10 members Saint Joseph’s and Richmond prior to her arrival at LIU in 2002, reached the 400-win mark this season with the Blackbirds’ triumph over Wagner on February 4. Long Island leads the conference in field goal percentage defense for the second consecutive year. The Blackbirds have become even stingier this season, surrendering only 53.7 ppg compared to the league-low 56.4 ppg opponents scored on them last season. Nainima reached the 20-point mark 20 times this season, second-most in the league. Nainima and senior center Sara Oblak (Skofja Loka, Slovenia) both registered their 1,000th career point this season. Nainima became the fastest Blackbird to the millenium mark, doing so through her first 53 collegiate contests. Sophomore guard Connie James (Galloway, NJ/Absegami)is second on the team to Nainima in assists (99) and steals (53). Johnson, whose hometown is in the vicinity of James’, has increased the South Jersey production flow that has been making its way into downtown Brooklyn, averaging 7.7 ppg and 7.7 rpg.

No. 2 Robert Morris Colonials (22-9, 16-2 NEC) Robert Morris rides a 16-game win streak, currently the nation’s fourth-longest, into its second consecutive NEC Tournament Final. The three-time NEC champion Colonials won it all here last year, edging Sacred Heart, 68-66, in the final. The Colonials downed No. 6 Monmouth, 67-52, in last Sunday’s semifinal round thanks to a record performance from junior guard Sade Logan (Knoxville, TN/Chattanooga State). The NEC Player of the Year tied the NEC Tournament single-mark with 15 field goals converted, set the NEC mark for three-pointers made with seven, and tied the third-highest scoring output in tournament history with 38 points. The Colonials defeated St. Francis (NY), 77-62, for the third time this season to advance into the semifinal round of the tournament for the fourth straight year. All-NEC first team senior forward Chinata Nesbit (Washington, DC/Chipola JC)logged a triple-double which included 24 rebounds, the third-highest single-game total in tournament history. Logan’s 121 three-balls this season are a new NEC single-season mark and are only five off the NCAA record of 126 set by Lisa McMullen of Alabama State in 1991. Robert Morris won a combined ten games from 2000-2004, but the Colonials are now celebrating their fourth straight 20-win season. The Colonials’ current 16-game win streak, which began on Jan. 16 against FDU, is the longest of an NEC team this season and a program record. RMU is an offensive juggernaut, amassing a conference-best 73.7 ppg while ranking second in scoring margin (+11.2 ppg). The Colonials’ numbers are even more crooked in NEC play. Averaging 75.6 ppg, the Colonials outscore league opponents by an average of 17.4 ppg, a figure that is is nearly nine points greater than the NEC’s second-ranked squad. Robert Morris’ non-conference schedule contained dates with eight members of Division I FBS leagues, the most of any NEC team. The Colonials took on schools from the Big XII, SEC, ACC, Mid-American, Sun Belt, and Conference USA. Logan became the Colonials’ single-season scoring leader and NEC record holder with 787 points this year. She surpassed Saint Francis (PA) great Jess Zinoble’s 724 points (1999-2000) in the NEC annals while obliterating the previous school mark of 614 set by Nesbit in 2006-07. After amassing a league-best 17 double-doubles during her junior campaign, Nesbit tops all NEC players once again with 12 double-doubles. Nesbit became the first player in RMU history, and only player in the NEC this season, to record a triple-double. The 6’0” forward has two of them after amassing 18 points, 24 rebounds, and 10 assists in RMU’s quarterfinal victory over St. Francis (NY) She also netted 16 points, dished out 12 assists, and grabbed 10 boards in an 87-53 victory over Mount St. Mary’s (Feb. 25). In addition to notching the triple-double against the Mount, Nesbit became the 16th player in program history to score 1,000 career points on the same day. Nesbit is the ninth player in Colonials’ history to accumulate 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. (2008 NEC Women’s Basketball Championship Game; 4-of-4)