GREENWOOD, IN – The HCAC women’s basketball tournament will get underway Friday night with opening round action from Hanover.  The six-team tournament will decide who receives the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.  The semifinals and finals will also be held at Hanover College Saturday and Sunday.

Hanover (23-1, 17-1 HCAC) heads into the tournament with an 11 game win streak, earning the outright HCAC title by four games over the closest competition.  It was Hanover’s first women’s basketball conference title since earning the ICAC title in 1996-97.

The Panthers posted a 9-1 record against the five other schools involved in the conference tournament.  Franklin (19-6, 13-5 HCAC) earned a 6-4 mark against the field, while Transylvania (18-7, 13-5 HCAC) also finished 6-4.  Manchester (13-12, 11-7 HCAC) and Defiance (12-13, 10-8 HCAC) claimed a 4-6 record, while Rose-Hulman (10-15, 8-10 HCAC) stood 1-9 against the competition.

Hanover earned the school’s first HCAC women’s basketball championship this season.  The top seed Panthers will take on the winner of Manchester and Defiance Saturday afternoon in the HCAC semifinals.  Hanover posted a sweep of Manchester and Defiance this season.

Manchester and Defiance each went 6-4 down the stretch heading into the postseason tournament.  The No. 4 seed Spartans will look to move into the semifinals with a win over No. 5 Defiance Friday night at Hanover.  DC and MC split their two meetings during the regular season.  The two teams will tip at 6:00 PM Friday night at Hanover College.

Franklin will be searching for their second consecutive tournament championship this weekend.  The Grizzlies enter the 2011 tournament as the No. 2 seed and will tangle with the winner of Transylvania and Rose-Hulman in the second semifinal at Hanover Saturday.  The Grizzlies have won 11 of 13 heading into the postseason and earned splits against Transy and Rose during their meetings this season. 

Transylvania claimed the No. 3 seed and will play No. 6 Rose-Hulman at 8:00 PM Friday night at Hanover.  The Pioneers swept the Engineers during their regular season meetings.  Transy has won four of five, while Rose has claimed wins in four of their last six contests.  The winner of Friday night’s game will advance to the semis to face Franklin at Hanover Saturday afternoon.

The HCAC tournament championship game will take place at 2:00 PM Sunday afternoon at Hanover College and will be broadcast live by HomeTown Sports Indiana on www.hometownsportsindiana.com.

Tickets will be $5.00 per session ($4.00 for students and senior citizens).  Children under the age of 11 are free.

2011 HCAC Women's Basketball Tournament Schedule
at Hanover College

Friday, Feb. 25
Game 1 - #5 Defiance vs. #4 Manchester
6:00 PM   Live Stats / Webcast
Game 2 - #6 Rose-Hulman vs. #3 Transylvania
8:00 PM   Live Stats / Webcast

Saturday, Feb. 26
Game 3 - #1 Hanover vs. #4/5 seed
3:00 PM   Live Stats / Webcast
Game 4 - #2 Franklin vs. #3/6 seed
5:00 PM   Live Stats / Webcast

Sunday, Feb. 27
Championship - Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
2:00 PM   Live Stats / Webcast