Hatters Begin Postseason Play Thursday at UCF

Hatters and Knights add to rivalry

Stetson and UCF, two former conference rivals, have met 61 times previously, but never quite like this.

The Hatters and Knights will face off in the NCAA postseason for the first-time ever as the WNIT begins Thursday night at UCF. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at CFE Arena. The game will be broadcast live on WSBB radio, AM1230 New Smyrna Beach, AM1490 in DeLand, online at myam1230.com, and on the free WSBB app.

Stetson (26-6) will be making its seventh consecutive postseason appearance, and its fourth in the WNIT. The Hatters are just one win shy of tying the all-time school record for wins in a single season. The 2013-14 team won 27 games, with the 27th win coming in the first round of the WNIT.

The Hatters average 70.8 points per game and allow just 57.0 points, marking the 30th-best scoring defense in the NCAA. Stetson also owns the fourth-best team free throw percentage in the country at .792.

Four players average in double figures, including Brianti Saunders' team-high mark of 15.9 ppg. Sarah Sagerer leads the conference in rebounding (8.9) and blocks (4.1), while Breana Bey is tops in the league in field goal percentage (.575).

UCF (20-11) has won seven of its last nine games overall and advanced to the American Athletic Conference semifinals before falling to No. 1 UConn. Aliyah Gregory (16.4) and Zykira Lewis (15.7) combine for over 32 points-per-game.

Thursday will mark the third meeting in the past three seasons for the Hatters and Knights. Stetson defeated UCF 67-49 on Nov. 19, 2014 in Orlando, the Hatters also won 83-68 on Dec. 2, 2015 in DeLand. The Knights lead the series 33-28.

The winner advances to play the Jacksonville-Georgia Tech winner in the second round.

General admission tickets cost just $7 and can be purchased online. In addition to the radio broadcast, live stats, the Stetson women's basketball twitter feed (@StetsonWBB), and the HatCheck text messaging system will provide live updates as well.

Quest for 2000 Points
Brianti Saunders is 36 points shy of the 2000-point mark for her career. She is looking to become the first player in Stetson history, the sixth player in ASUN history and the 347th player in NCAA history to reach that milestone.

100 Blocks
Sarah Sagerer needs one more block to become the second player in school history and seventh player in ASUN history to record 100 blocked shots in a single-season.

1st Quarter Success
Stetson is outscoring its opponents by 191 points in first quarters this year (585-394). Stetson has led after the first quarter in 16 of the past 18 games, and the other two games were tied at the end of 1. Stetson has led after 1 in 25 of the team's 32 games this year (the Hatters are 23-2 in those games). Stetson has not trailed after the first quarter since Tennessee State led 17-16 on Dec. 20.

From the Line
Brianti Saunders is having one the best free throw shooting seasons in NCAA history. In 32 games, the Hatter senior has shot 132 free throws, and has missed just eight all season long (124-132). Her .939 free throw percentage leads the nation. If her percentage holds, it would be the highest single-season percentage in school history and in ASUN history and the 11th highest percentage in NCAA history. She has made 19 consecutive free throws entering the WNIT.

Road Streak
Stetson is currently on a seven-game road win streak, tied for the ninth-longest active streak in the NCAA.

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