The Road to the Final Four Begins in Syracuse

SYRACUSE, N.Y. – For the second time in program history, the Syracuse University women's basketball team has punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament as a top-16 seed. The Orange have earned the right to host the first and second rounds this weekend in the Carrier Dome.

Third-seed Syracuse will host 14th-seed Fordham at 1 p.m. Saturday, March 23. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2.

It is the highest seed Syracuse has ever earned in the NCAA Tournament. Last time the Orange hosted the first and second rounds, they were tabbed as the four seed in the 2016 Tournament. Syracuse went on to reach the Final Four for the first time in program history, losing to UConn in the championship game.

The Orange are 24-8 this season and reached the semifinals of the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament in Greensboro, N.C., last week. 'Cuse is led by Nancy Lieberman Award finalist Tiana Mangakahia and a seasoned starting lineup that has started 62 of the last 63 games together.

Fordham, which earned an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament by claiming its first-ever Atlantic 10 Championship title, went 25-8 in the regular season. The Rams, who are currently riding a school record 12-game win streak, are led by head coach Stephanie Gaitley, who has guided the squad to three consecutive 20-win seasons.

The Rams' duo of guard Bre Cavanaugh and forward Mary Goulding earned First Team All-Conference honors this year, becoming the first Fordham teammates to do so in the same season. Cavanaugh finished second in the league with a 17.3 points per game average, while Goulding leads the Rams in every statistical category besides scoring, field goals, and three-point makes.

Sixth-seed South Dakota State (26-6) and 11^th-seed Quinnipiac (26-6) will square off in the first round game at 11 am, prior to Syracuse vs. Fordham. The winners will meet in a second round game on Monday, March 25th at 7 or 9:30 pm.

The Orange have now made the NCAA Tournament in seven-straight seasons and eight times under head coach Quentin Hillsman's direction. This is the 10^th NCAA Tournament berth in program history for Syracuse.

Eight ACC teams earned bids to this year's tournament with Notre Dame and Louisville earning top seeds.

All 2018-19 Orange women's season ticket holders will have the first opportunity to purchase seats starting at 10 p.m. Monday, March 18, through MyCuse. All other donors and season ticket holders of other sports will have access to purchase starting at 10 a.m. Tuesday, March 19. Individuals in these groups will receive an email from the Carrier Dome Box Office with details to purchase tickets through their MyCuse account.

Tickets will go on sale to the general public at 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 19 via phone (888-DOME-TIX).

To stay updated on the women's basketball team, follow @CuseWBB on Twitter and Instagram.

Syracuse University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Tiana Mangakahia

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