After taking down Mount Saint Mary College and Bates College in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament last weekend, The University of Scranton women's basketball team is now set to host the sectional rounds of the NCAA Tournament beginning Friday night at the John Long Center. 

Friday's first game features University of Wisconsin-Stout (21-7) and University of Wisconsin-Whitewater (24-6) at 5:30 p.m., followed by Scranton (28-1) against Johns Hopkins University (24-4) at 8:00 p.m. The two winners will then play for a spot in the Final Four on Saturday night at 8:00 p.m.

Game Info

• The Lady Royals' Sweet 16 game will take place on Friday, March 14 at 8:00 p.m. at the John Long Center in Scranton, Pa.
• Tickets (CASH ONLY):
  • $15 - adults 
  • $10 - seniors and students
  • Free - children 2 and under

Game Coverage

• The game will be streamed for free on NCAA.com.

No. 3 Scranton

• Record: 28-1
• Scranton, ranked No. 3 in the NCAA Division III Rankings, defeated Mount Saint Mary College 93-35 in the first round and then took down Bates College 73-49 in the second round to advance to the Sweet 16.
• Scranton is the first in the country with 45.4 points against per game, seventh in the nation in offensive points per game with 79.6 and second behind the reigning national champion NYU in scoring margin at 34.2.
• Head coach Ben O'Brien is in his third season at the helm of the Royals and has a career record of 84-5 at Scranton. During O'Brien's tenure, the Royals have won three Landmark Championships, and he coached the team to an Elite Eight appearance in 2023-24.

Royals to Watch

• Junior Kaci Kranson, the Landmark Conference Player of the Year and an All-Conference first team selection this year, ranks second in the Landmark Conference with 17.2 points per game. Kranson scored 26 points and recorded 13 rebounds in the second-round victory over Bates.
• Junior Kaeli Romanowski has started in every game this season and is second in the conference with 97 steals and 108 assists. Romanowski earned the Landmark Conference Playoffs Most Valuable Player after tallying a career-high 15 assists with 12 rebounds and six points against Catholic in the title game.

Johns Hopkins University

• Record: 24-4
• The Johns Hopkins women's basketball team earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament and hosted the first two rounds of the playoffs where they defeated St. Joseph (CT) 75-50 and Carnegie Mellon 68-58 to advance to the Sweet Sixteen.
• The Blue Jays led the Centennial Conference with 69.7 points per game and a 19.7 scoring margin, and they ranked third in the conference with 50 points against per game.
• Head coach Rodney Rogan was named the eighth women's basketball coach in program history in August of 2023. He has guided the Blue Jays to a 50-8 record with two Sweet 16 appearances during his two years at the helm of the program.

Blue Jays to Watch

• Michaela O'Neill ranks seventh in the Centennial Conference with her team-best 12.9 points per game and third in the conference in blocks with 49, while also tallying 151 total rebounds. O'Neill, an All-Conference First Team selection, scored 12 points in 29 minutes in the win in the second round against Carnegie Mellon.
• Macie Feldman an All-Conference Second Team selection and is fifth in the Centennial Conference with her 232 rebounds and 102 assists. The junior averages 10 points per game and has 59 steals on the year.

NCAA Tournament History

• Scranton, amid its 37^th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, has advanced into the Sweet 16 for the second straight season with a chance to make the Elite Eight in back-to-back years and for the 17^th time in program history.
• Johns Hopkins is making its fourth consecutive and 15^th overall appearance in the NCAA Tournament this season. The Blue Jays are back in the Sweet 16 for the second straight season and the fifth time in program history, looking to advance to the elite eight for just the third time in program history.

Inside the Series

• Scranton and Johns Hopkins faced each other last year in the Sweet 16. The Lady Royals defeated the Blue Jays, 65-53.
• Scranton is 5-1 all-time and 4-0 in NCAA Tournament games against Johns Hopkins in program history.