MCC women gear for national tourney opener

HARRISON, Arkansas - The MCC women's basketball team will begin its quest for a fifth national title on the campus of North Arkansas College Tuesday night.

The top-seeded Tribunes (29-2) have a 7 p.m. (Eastern) tip-off against 16th-seeded Harcum College in the opening round of the NJCAA Division II national tournament. Monroe qualified for the tournament by way of an 89-54 victory over Niagara County Community College in the Region III championship game on March 11.

All games will be streamed live on NJCAATV. Viewers will be required to subscribe and pay a small fee to view NJCAA tournament games. You can also follow MCC Athletics on Twitter for scores, highlights, and updates.

The tournament website may be found here.

Some things to know about the Tribunes heading into nationals:

• MCC was ranked third in the NJCAA D-II preseason poll, which was released on Oct. 26.  A solid start had the Tribunes ranked first in the initial regular season poll on Dec. 12, and the team stayed in that spot the remainder of the year.
• This is the second time in the last three seasons Monroe has earned the top overall seed. They were also first in 2016, when they finished in fourth place. The team was seeded third and finished third in 2017.
• MCC faced three teams that qualified for nationals during the regular season, including their opening-round opponent Harcum. Monroe defeated the Bears 89-77 on Dec. 3 in the Charm City Classic in Baltimore. The Tribunes also topped 13th-seeded Union County College 87-72 at home on Nov. 11, and beat fourth-seeded Owens CC 81-70 on the road on Nov. 19.
• MCC's only two losses this season came to the same team - ASA College.  The Avengers are currently in the second round of the NJCAA D-I national tournament after defeating ninth-seeded Salt Lake on Monday.
• The Tribunes are ranked among the nation's best in a number of categories, including total 3-pointers made (2nd - 391), 3's made per game (2nd - 12.6), points per game (3rd - 89.9), assists per game (5th - 19.1), field goal percentage (8th - 45.4), and free throw percentage (9th - 71.6).
• Monroe is led by a quartet of sophomores who average in double figures - Lanay Rodney (20.5 PPG), Sierra Green (19.6), Jaynelle Robinson (15.3), and Torrie Cash (13.1).
• Rodney and Green, who were named Region III Co-Players of the Year - each went over the 1,000-point mark for their careers this season.
• Green has rewritten the MCC record books this season in terms of 3-point shooting. The guard has set single game (12), single season (143), and career (231) marks from beyond the arc.
• Head coach Tim Parrinello, in his 22nd season, enters the tournament with an incredible 609-85 overall record. He guided the Tribunes to national titles in 2001, 2004, 2005, and 2006.