Firebirds Women’s Basketball Ranked T-No. 22 in the USA Today/WBCA National Poll
LILBURN, GA – The University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team is tied for No. 22 in the nation in this week's USA Today/WBCA Division II top-25 poll released Tuesday afternoon.
This marks the first top-25 national ranking for the Firebirds – or any East Coast Conference team – this season after UDC spent all season to this point in the "Receiving Votes" category. UDC was also No. 4 in the first NCAA Division II East Region poll of the season last week behind three other nationally-ranked teams in today's national poll: Adelphi (No. 10), Stonehill (T-No. 12) and New Haven (No. 21). The next East Region poll is scheduled for release tomorrow afternoon.
The Firebirds won their 11th and 12th straight games last week to improve to 23-3 overall and move within one win of clinching an East Coast Conference Regular Season Championship. Last week, UDC defeated Dowling on the road, 77-59 on Wednesday night and returned home to beat Bridgeport, 70-56 on Saturday afternoon. The Firebirds have now beaten all 10 other schools in the ECC at least once while sweeping six of them. They currently have a two-game lead for 1st place in a league which features the three NCAA regionally-ranked teams – NYIT, Queens and LIU Post.
Sixteen of UDC's 23 wins have come by double-figures, and the Firebirds are 7-1 outside of conference play and 12-1 on the road this season. UDC also boasts a win over a top-25 ranked team as they dominated then-No. 25 Virginia St., 88-62 back on November 19th.
The Firebirds, just one win shy of tying the school record of 24 wins in a season, will close out the regular season this week with a home game vs. Mercy on Thursday night and a road game at St. Thomas Aquinas on Saturday afternoon.