INDIANAPOLIS – The six-team bracket for the fifth annual Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Basketball Championship was released over the weekend as the regular season finished.
 
The conclusion to the conference schedule was an exciting one as teams now get ready for the postseason with hopes to make the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional as part of March Madness.
 
All games in the G-MAC Women’s Basketball Championship will be streamed online with live stats available to all viewers. To view available multimedia links along with general admission information, click to view the official championship page here.
 
Ursuline is this year’s tournament host for the second straight year and will welcome the playoff-bound institutions in the Sister Diana Stano Athletic Center.
 
The Arrows (22-6, 13-1 G-MAC) had a conference record 16-game win streak snapped in overtime but still come in ranked fourth in the Midwest Region and are the defending conference tourney champs/NCAA Championship Midwest Regional qualifier.
 
Ursuline will await the winner of No. 5 Davis & Elkins (18-9, 7-7 G-MAC) and No. 4 Kentucky Wesleyan (19-7, 8-6 G-MAC) in a Thursday quarterfinal contest at 5 p.m. EST. UC will play the early semifinal on Friday at 5 p.m. EST.
 
Fans can see the G-MAC’s all-time leading scorer Stephanie Wooten of D&E showcase her craft against the experienced depth of the Panthers headlined by Brittany Wells and Jennifer Walker-Crawford.
 
The other first-round bye was secured by Malone and the Pioneers (21-6, 12-2 G-MAC are streaking after winning nine straight and thwarting Ursuline’s perfect regular-season G-MAC run.
 
Malone has thrived under first-year head coach Rick Tice and a talented nucleus with senior point guard Rachel Goddard and forward Hannah McCue helping lead the charge.
 
The Pioneers will patiently await the outcome between No. 3 Cedarville and No. 6 Alderson Broaddus in the other quarterfinal matchup. Cedarville and AB will tip at 7:30 p.m. EST before Malone will play the winning team on Friday at the same time.
 
Cedarville overcame a season-ending injury sustained by a key piece of the puzzle before the year even began under first-year head coach Kari Hoffman’s leadership. The Yellow Jackets (18-10, 9-5 G-MAC) notably split the regular-season series with Malone and the guard tandem of Regina Hochstetler and Baylee Bennett is one reason to believe Cedarville could get back to this year’s final again.
 
The Battlers (10-18, 4-10 G-MAC) took down Davis & Elkins on Senior Day to clinch their postseason bid. Jordan Parker has drilled 70 three-point buckets to be the leading scorer while senior floor general Lorin Clark has dished out a league-best 173 assists.
 
The 2016-17 G-MAC Women’s Basketball All-Conference Team will be announced on Wednesday evening following a championship banquet on the Ursuline campus. All-conference teams are voted upon by the league’s eight coaches.