STORYLINE
The Edinboro women's basketball team makes the short trip to Erie, Pa. to play Cal Poly Pomona in the Erie Insurance Arena in the Elite Eight. The Fighting Scots and Broncos tip-off at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, March 25 in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Scots have won 11-straight games including capturing the PSAC Championship and Atlantic Regional Championship. This is Edinboro's second-ever Elite Eight appearance. The only other time came in 1997 in an 81-46 loss to North Dakota. Cal Poly Pomona lost to Cal State Dominguez Hills in the CCAA Championship 65-61, but was the number one seed in the West Region and won the regional title on its home court. The Broncos defeated Montana State Billings 75-68 in the championship game. They rank third in Division II history with 54 NCAA Tournament wins and have won a record-tying five Division II titles.  Edinboro was ranked 25th in the most recent USA Today Coaches Poll and is 27-5 overall. Cal Poly Pomona comes in at 25-6 and was ranked 18th in the most recent poll.
 
DATE: Tuesday March 25, 2014
TIP-OFF: 6:00 p.m.
SITE: Erie Insurance Arena (Erie, Pa.)
RADIO: WFSE 88.9 FM
VIDEO: http://www.ncaa.com/liveschedule/2014/03/25
LIVE STATS:  http://www.ncaa.com/game/basketball-women/d2/2014/03/25/cal-poly-pomona-edinboro
 
Edinboro Elite Eight Game Notes
 
Edinboro Season Stats, Cal Poly Pomona Season Stats

Probable Starters

Edinboro (27-5 Overall, 15-1 PSAC West)	Cal Poly Pomona (25-6 Overall, 18-4 CCAA)
#30 Valerie Majewski (G, 5-7, Jr.)	#1 J.J. Judge (G, 5-10, Sr.)
#3   Darche' Jackson (G, 5-8, Sr.)	#10 Ariel Marsh (G, 5-8, R-Jr.)
#00 Lauren Hippo (G/F, 5-10, So.)	#22 Lauren Goecke (G, 5-9, Jr.)
#11 Laurel Lindsay (G/F, 6-0, Jr.)	#24 Ashley Lovett (F, 6-0, Jr.)
#13 Aignee' Freeland (F/C, 6-3, So.)	#32 Jada Blackwell (C, 6-1, Jr.)

Head Coaches

Edinboro	Cal Poly Pomona
Stan Swank (Purdue 1976)	Danelle Bishop
Record at Edinboro: 492-274, 27th year	Record at Cal Poly Pomona: 86-33
Career Record: Same	Career Record: 224-118

               
Key Players
Edinboro
#3 Darche' Jackson (G, 5-8, Sr.) - The Atlantic Regional Tournament MVP, Jackson will likely be tasked with shutting down the Broncos Ariel Marsh. The senior guard is averaging 16.0 ppg. over the last eight contests.

#13 Aignee' Freeland (F/C, 6-3, So.) - The First Team All-PSAC West honoree may have her toughest challenge to date going up against the Broncos strong interior game. Freeland will be an important piece in attempt to limit the likes of Jada Blackwell and Ashley Lovett in the post. The sophomore forward/center has been stellar as of late averaging 16.0 ppg. and 9.8 rpg. over the last four including two double-doubles.

Cal Poly Pomona
#32 Jada Blackwell (C, 6-1, Jr.) - The Arizona State transfer leads the Broncos with 18.8 ppg. and 9.2 rpg. She was named to the First Team All-CCAA and was also named the CCAA Player of the Year. The 6'1" junior has scored 20 or more points in the last four games and averaged 26 ppg. during the West Regional (last three games). Cal Poly Pomona has only played one other ranked team this year. The Broncos opened the season with two games against No. 18 Simon Fraser. Blackwell had 18 points and eight rebounds the first game and 21 points and 18 rebounds in the second game.
 
#10 Ariel Marsh (G, 5-8, R-Jr.) - Marsh is second on the team with 16.8 ppg. The 5'8" redshirt junior has scored in double figures in all but three games this season.  She is averaging 18.3 ppg. in the NCAA Tournament this season.
 
SCOUTING CAL POLY POMONA
Cal Poly Pomona makes the nearly 2,500 mile trip to Erie, Pa. for the school's first game in the state of Pennsylvania. The Broncos are a Division II NCAA Tournament regular, racking up 54 wins in 72 tournament games, the third-highest total in Division II history. Their five championships in eight tournament appearances are both tied for Division II records. The Broncos are led by Danelle Bishop. In her fourth season in charge of the Broncos, she has led them to an 86-33 record, improving her career record to 224-118. Bishop was appointed head coach of Azusa Pacific as a 26-year old and has yet to have a losing season in her 11 years as a head coach. The Broncos are scoring 72.1 ppg. this season while allowing 64.3 ppg. The California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) representative was the top scoring offense in the conference. They also topped the CCAA in assist/turnover ratio (0.95), field goal percentage (43.4 percent), and 3-point field goal percentage (34.8 percent). The Broncos' leading scorer and rebounder is Jada Blackwell. The Arizona State transfer is averaging 18.8 ppg. and 9.2 rpg in her first year with the team. She has tallied 14 double-doubles this season. The 6'1" junior center has averaged 25.4 ppg. over the last four games including a season-high 35 points against Chico State in the West Regional Semifinals. Ariel Marsh is second on the team with 16.8 ppg. The 5'8" redshirt junior has scored in double figures in all but three games this season. Blackwell is complimented inside by another Division I transfer in Ashley Lovett. The former Loyola Marymount player is third on the team with 10.1 ppg. and second with 8.7 rpg.. The 6'0" junior has pulled down 11 or more rebounds in four of the last five games.
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. THE BRONCOS
First Meeting
•       Cal Poly Pomona has won a record-tying five Division II titles (1982, 1985, 1986, 2001, and 2002).
•       Edinboro is making its second appearance in the Elite Eight (last in 1997).
 
LAST TIME OUT
Edinboro 82, Bloomsburg 76 - Atlantic Regional Championship
The second seeded Edinboro women's basketball team defeated the fourth seed Bloomsburg 82-76 in dramatic fashion on March 17 to capture the Atlantic Regional crown and advance to the Elite Eight. Valerie Majewski and Lauren Hippo combined to score the last 16 points of the game for the Fighting Scots to cap off a comeback in which they trailed by as much as 11 points in the second half. At the break, the Huskies led 42-33. The Fighting Scots would take their first lead of the game behind a 10-0 run. Trailing 55-47, Majewski started the run with a layup at the 12:52 mark. She would cap off the run with a layup and was fouled, converting the free throw to give the Scots a 57-55 lead with 10:35 to play. The Huskies retook the lead and last lead 69-66 with 3:35 remaining. Edinboro would capture the lead for good with a 10-2 run. Darche' Jackson hit a jumper that made it a 67-66 game with 4:48 remaining. Majewski nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game at 69-69 and Lauren Hippo hit a 3-pointer to give the Scots a 72-69 lead with 2:24 remaining. Marla Simmons' layup would make it a 72-71 game 12 seconds later. Majewski and Hippo each scored to make it 76-71 with 51 seconds left. Catherine Noack drilled a 3-pointer with 38 seconds left to cut the Edinboro lead to 76-74. Hippo was fouled on the subsequent possession and made both free throw attempts to push the lead to 78-74 with 30 seconds remaining. Jocelyn Ford scored with 22 seconds left as the Fighting Scots' lead once again dwindled down to two points. Ahead 78-76, the Scots had Majewski at the free throw line and she iced the game making both free throws on her first trip. After Noack came down and missed a 3-pointer on the other end, Majewski made another pair of free throws with seven seconds remaining to deliver the final score of 82-76. Majewski finished with 20 points and was a perfect 9-for-9 at the charity stripe for the game. Hippo was the game's leading scorer with 23 points and finished 6-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-4 on 3-pointers, and 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Jackson was accorded Atlantic Region Tournament MVP honors after capping off the Scots' regional championship with 14 points. Freeland scored 14 points and pulled down nine rebounds. She went 8-for-9 from the charity stripe, including a perfect 4-for-4 in the second half. The Fighting Scots went 31-for-34 (91.2 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Cal Poly Pomona 75, Montana State Billings 68 - Western Regional Championship
Cal Poly Pomona edged out Montana State Billings with a season-low six turnovers in a game that featured seven lead changes for the West Regional Championship. The Broncos had to overcome a 40-34 halftime deficit. They had an 11-0 run to take a 57-49 lead with 10:07 to play. Cal Poly Pomona never trailed the rest of the game and led by at least three points the rest of the way. Jada Blackwell led the game with 20 points while Ariel Marsh added 19 points. March played all 40 minutes and was 8-for-8 from the free throw line including making all four of her attempts in the final minute.