Rochester, Minn. - 

Fifth-seeded Northland Community & Technical College faces 12th-seeded Nassau Community College in the opening round of the NJCAA Division III Women's Basketball National Championship Tournament on Wednesday, March 13, at 2 p.m., at the Regional Sports Center in Rochester. 
 The game will be live-streamed on the NJCAA Network  (https://www.njcaa.org/network/live) and it can be viewed at the American Legion Club in Thief River Falls, and at both Northland campuses in Thief River Falls and East Grand Forks. 
The Pioneers (22-5) and Lions (20-7) both qualified for the tournament with at-large bids. The Pioneers were runners-up in Region XIII-B, losing 75-69 to number one overall seed Minnesota West Bluejays in the Region XIII-B championship game on Sunday, March 3.  
The Lions, who were ranked 10th in the final regular season coaches' poll, fell to unranked Monroe College - Bronx 66-64 in the Northeast District (Region XV) championship game, on March 3 at Kingsborough Community College.

A closer look at the match-up 
On paper, the Pioneers and Lions are similar teams. The Pioneers average 73.0 points per game compared to 67.6 for the Lions. Both teams are stingy defensively, with the Pioneers allowing 51.1 points per game, compared to 51.2 for the Lions. 
Leading scorers for the Lions are freshman forward Aiyana Hamilton at 23.5 points per game, sophomore guard Mia Cheatham at 16.4 PPG, and sophomore guard Shyann Parker at 11.8 PPG.
Hamilton and fellow freshman forward Janatta Bartley both average over eight rebounds per game for the Lions. Parker leads the team in assists at 4.6 per contest. 
The Pioneers also have three players averaging double figures in scoring, led by sophomore guard Emma Osborn at 16.0 PPG,  freshman forward Tiyana Schwinghammer at 14.6 PPG, and freshman guard Josie Iverson at 11.8 PPG, with sophomore forward Riley Mooney averaging 9.2 PPG. 
Schwinghammer is the Pioneers' top rebounder at 10.3 boards per contest, with Iverson leading the team in assists with 5.4 per game.    

Tournament Seeds
1. Minnesota West 23-7
2. Rochester 21-4
3. Onondaga 26-2
4. Anoka-Ramsey 22-6
5. Northland 22-5
6. Dallas-Cedar Valley 17-5
7. Jefferson (NY) 23-3
8. Prince George's 13-5
9. Community College of Rhode Island 20-7
10. RCSJ Glouster 21-2
11. Monroe Bronx 16-16
12. Nassau 20-7

Schedule
Wednesday, March 13, First Round - Community College of Rhode Island vs. Prince Georges noon; Northland vs. Nassau 2 p.m.; Jefferson vs. RCSJ Glouser 4 p.m.; Monroe Bronx vs. Dallas-Cedar Valley 6 p.m. 
Thursday, March 14, Consolation games - 10 a.m., noon; Quarterfinals - Game 1 winner vs. Minnesota West 2 p.m.; Game 2 winner vs. Anoka-Ramsey 4 p.m.; Game 3 winner vs. Rochester 6 p.m.; Game 4 winner vs. Onondaga 8 p.m.
Friday, March 15, Consolation semifinal games - noon, 2 p.m.; Semifinal games 5 p.m., 7 p.m. 
Saturday, March 16 - 5th place game at noon; 3rd place game at 2 p.m.; Championship game at 4 p.m. 

Streaming info
All games will be streamed online at the NJCAA Network. Choose from the $12 day pass, $35 tournament pass or $100 for the all-tournament pass that includes all current, archived and upcoming tournaments during the 2023-24 school year. 
https://www.njcaa.org/network/live