TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The No. 25/24-ranked Florida State women's basketball team captured a No. 8 seed in the 2013 NCAA Tournament and will face No. 9 seed Princeton in the first round in Waco, Texas on Sunday at 5:10 p.m. ET at the Ferrell Center.
The game will air live on ESPN2.
No. 1 seed Baylor and No. 16 seed Prairie View A&M will also be Waco for the first and second rounds, which are part of the Oklahoma City Region. A first round victory would propel the Seminoles into a contest between the winner of the Bears/Panthers matchup on Tuesday at 9:30 p.m. ET.
“There are only 64 teams that are privileged to compete and we’re excited to be back there to travel and meet a very good Princeton team in the first round,” Florida State head coach Sue Semrau said. “I know (Princeton’s) coach (Courtney Banghart) and she does an excellent job with their team. They’re extremely well coached. They’re an extremely smart team. They have the player of the year from the Ivy League (Niveen Rasheed). They’re going to be a tough match up.”
This is Florida State's 12th all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament and eighth selection in the past nine years. The Seminoles missed the tournament last season after seven straight appearances.
FSU will enter the "Big Dance" with a 22-9 record and as the ACC's leader in scoring (76.2 points per game). Florida State ranks fifth nationally in field goal percentage (.459) and seventh in scoring.
“I’m very excited,” senior guard Alexa Deluzio said. “Last year was hard to handle, having no postseason and having to go right into practicing. I’m just happy we get to play. I have more games to play with my team.”
The Seminoles had a league-high three All-ACC First Team honorees this season as senior guards Deluzio and Leonor Rodriguez and junior forward Natasha Howard all earned the prestigious accolade.
Senior Chasity Clayton also nabbed ACC Sixth Player of the Year.
FSU has never faced Princeton, Baylor or Prairie View A&M and will be a No. 8 seed for the first time in school history.
The Seminoles are 12-11 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.
Florida State went 8-5 against teams that also made the tourney this season, beating Stetson, Iowa, Miami (three times) and Vanderbilt, splitting with Maryland and North Carolina and falling to Nebraska and Duke (twice).
“I’m ecstatic right now,” senior guard Morgan Toles said. “It’s an unbelievable feeling. All my three years in college I’ve never been able to experience the tournament. The selection show was great, having all the fans behind us. I’m just really excited.”
