Xavier University Athletics
2010-11 Women's Basketball A-10 Championship Site Announced
08.18.10 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 18, 2010
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - For the second time in the 29-year history of Atlantic 10 Conference Women’s Basketball, the league will host its A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship at a neutral site. Commissioner Bernadette V. McGlade today announced the 2011 Championship will be played at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, March 4-7.
"We are very excited about our partnership with the Tsongas Center and working with the community of Lowell," stated Commissioner McGlade. "We look forward to a great 2011 Championship."
The Tsongas Center, which opened in 1998, is operated by Global Spectrum – a public assembly facility management group under the Comcast-Spectator umbrella. The Tsongas Center is a 6,500 seat full-service, multi-purpose venue that hosts a wide variety of events, including basketball, ice hockey, concerts, and professional conferences. The facility features state-of-the-art technical capabilities, a video scoreboard and sideline LED ribbons, and VIP function rooms overlooking the Merrimack River. Additionally, a newly renovated VIP hospitality area overlooking the arena will be completed this fall.
“We are excited to have a premiere event such as the A-10 Women’s Basketball Championship at the Tsongas Center and to work in partnership with the Atlantic 10 Conference,” said Peter Casey, UMass Lowell’s Director of Athletic Business Operations, who oversees the Tsongas Center. “We are ecstatic at the economic impact this event will have and the opportunity to showcase all our community has to offer.”
First round action of the Championship tips off on Friday, March 4, with the top four teams earning a bye. Quarterfinal play continues on Saturday, March 5, with the Semifinal round on Sunday, March 6 on CBS College Sports. The Championship game will be held on Monday, March 7, and televised live on ESPN2 at 5:00pm ET.
For the second time in Conference history, the Atlantic 10 saw eight of its 14 member institutions competing in a women’s basketball postseason tournament play. Nationally-ranked Xavier, along with Dayton and Temple each received bids to the NCAA Tournament, while Charlotte, Duquesne, Richmond, St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph’s received invitations to the WNIT. Last season marked the fifth time in six years that the A-10 has fielded three teams in the NCAA Tournament, while tying the most WNIT bids received (2009).
Tickets for the 2011 Championship will go on sale this fall. For additional information, please visit the Atlantic 10’s official website -- www.atlantic10.org.
About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976 and celebrates its 35th anniversary as a Division I Conference in 2010-11. Currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsoring 21 championship sports, the mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.
Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts
