March 15, 2010

PITTSBURGH -

Four exciting teams will make up the Pittsburgh site of the NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds, played at the Petersen Events Center March 21 and 23. Headlining the two-day event will be No. 2 seed Ohio State, as well as Mississippi State out of the Southeastern Conference, Middle Tennessee State and with a local flavor, St. Francis (Pa.).

Ohio State (30-4) will match up with No. 15 seed St. Francis (Pa.) in the opening game at noon on March 21. The Buckeyes earned their spot by winning the Big Ten Tournament, but they also claimed the regular-season title. Last season, Ohio State advanced to the Sweet 16, and they have now made seven consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

St. Francis (Pa.), with a record of 17-14 in 2010, will make their first NCAA Tournament appearance since the 2005 season. The Red Flash earned their spot by winning the North Eastern Conference Championship. When taking the court, the squad will be familiar with the Petersen Events Center as they battled the host Pitt Panthers on Nov. 24, 2009 in a 75-70 Red Flash loss.

The second matchup of the day will pit Mississippi State (19-12) against the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders (25-5). The Bulldogs finished third in the SEC standings and earned an at-large bid as they will make their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance and their second consecutive.

Middle Tennessee State, who won the Sun Belt Championship, boasts one of the most exciting players in the country in Alysha Clark. Clark leads the country in scoring for the second year in a row at 28.7 points per game.

Single-session tickets for the tournament will go on sale Tuesday at 9 a.m. through the Panthers Ticket Office at (800) 643-PITT or by visiting www.PittsburghPanthers.com.

Adult All-Session packages are $27 for all three games with Youth All-session packs at $17. For single sessions, adult tickets are $16 and youth tickets are $11. A $2 Good of the Game fee is included in the ticket price and is used exclusively by the NCAA to support efforts to preserve the history and promote the future of the game of basketball.

For group rates, please contact the Panthers Ticket Office at (800) 643-PITT. Every person, regardless of age, must have a game ticket to enter the facility.

Sunday, March 21
Noon — No. 2 seed Ohio State vs. No. 15 seed Saint Francis (Pa.) {ESPN2}
2:30 p.m. — No. 7 seed Mississippi State vs. No. 12 seed Middle Tennessee State {ESPN}

Tuesday, March 23
7 p.m. — Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner {ESPN2}