Firebirds Ranked No. 3 in 3rd NCAA East Regional Poll; No. 23 in USA Today Division II Poll

USA Today Top-25 National Poll

NCAA Regional Polls

INDIANAPOLIS – The University of the District of Columbia women's basketball team jumped one spot to No. 3 in the NCAA East Region Poll as voted on by the NCAA Division II National Committee. The Firebirds are also ranked No. 23 in the USA Today Division II national poll.

This marks the final poll of the season as the three conferences comprising the East Region - the East Coast Conference, Northeast-10 and Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference – hold their conference tournaments this week, with all three league champions earning NCAA Division II Tournament automatic bids. Five at-large bids and the seeding of all eight teams representing the East will be decided by National Committee and announced during "Selection Sunday" on NCAA.com at 10 p.m.

The Firebirds (25-3, 18-2 ECC) have won 14 straight games, including Saturday's 69-66 victory over St. Thomas Aquinas, where the visiting Firebirds erased a nine-point deficit late in the second half to earn their school-record 25^th win of the season. UDC is a No. 1 seed in this weekend's ECC Championship Tournament and will play the winner of the No. 4 NYIT vs. No. 5 LIU Post quarterfinal matchup in Saturday's semifinal round at LIU Post.

Seventeen of UDC's 25 wins have come by double-figures, and the Firebirds are 7-1 outside of conference play and 13-1 on the road this season. UDC also boasts wins over a previously top-25 ranked team (Virginia St.) and three schools also ranked in this poll (Queens – 6^th, LIU Post – 9^th and Roberts Wesleyan – 10^th).

Adelphi (26-3) jumped two spots to top this week's poll as they defeated No. 3 New Haven, 76-73 in both teams' regular season finale and then knocked off Le Moyne, 82-70 in the Northeast-10 quarterfinals on Sunday. The Panthers will face the No. 5 ranked team in this poll, Franklin Pierce (18-9) in the NE-10 Semifinals on Thursday. Meanwhile, New Haven (23-4) fell only one spot to No. 2 as the Chargers bounced back from the loss at Adelphi to beat Assumption, 72-48 in their NE-10 quarterfinal matchup. They will square off against American International on Thursday in the NE-10 semifinals. (The NE-10 Finals will be played on Sunday, March 8^th at 1:00 PM)

Stonehill (22-4) on the other hand, fell from No. 2 to No. 4 after suffering a 73-64 overtime loss to American International in the NE-10 Quarterfinals on Sunday. Eliminated from the NE-10 Conference Tournament now, the Skyhawks have no more remaining games to help or hinder their NCAA Tournament seeding.