1997 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament

1997 NCAA Division III
women's basketball tournament
Teams	64
Finals site	Coles Sports Center; New York, New York
Champions	NYU Violets (1st title)
Runner-up	Wisconsin–Eau Claire Blugolds (2nd title game)
Third place	Capital Crusaders (5th Final Four)
Fourth place	Scranton Royals (4th Final Four)
Winning coach	Janice Quinn (1st title)
MOP	Marsha Harris (NYU)
Attendance	50,604
NCAA Division III women's tournaments
«1996	1998»

The 1997 NCAA Division III women's basketball tournament was the 16th annual tournament hosted by the NCAA to determine the national champion of Division III women's collegiate basketball in the United States.^[3]

NYU Violets defeated Wisconsin–Eau Claire Blugolds in the championship game, 72–70, to claim the Violets' first Division III national title. Marsha Harris went coast-to-coast and made a game winning layup with 1.5 seconds remaining in the game to seal the victory.^[4]^[5]

The championship rounds were hosted by New York University at the Coles Sports Center in New York City from March 21–22, 1994.

Bracket

An asterisk by a team indicates the host of first and second round games
An asterisk by a score indicates an overtime period

East sectional

Play-in round March 5, 1997 Campus sites		Second round March 8, 1997 Campus sites		Sectional semifinals March 14, 1997 New York, NY		Sectional finals March 15, 1997 New York, NY

NYU*	66

Nazareth	50
		NYU*	75
East Region
		St. John Fisher	46
St. John Fisher	75

Hartwick*	62**
				NYU	84

				St. John Fisher	74
Rowan*	77

Frostburg State	47
		Rowan*	58
Atlantic Region
		William Paterson	60
Gallaudet	69

William Paterson*	81
						NYU	75

						William Smith	53
Binghamton*	73

Ithaca	66
		Ithaca	57
East Region
		William Smith*	81
Geneseo State	62

William Smith*	84
				William Smith	80

				Marymount (VA)	75
Colby–Sawyer*	71

TCNJ	80
		TCNJ	52
Atlantic Region
		Marymount (VA)	64*
Staten Island	58

Marymount (VA)*	79

Mid-Atlantic sectional

Play-in round March 5, 1997 Campus sites		Second round March 8, 1997 Campus sites		Sectional semifinals March 14, 1997 Scranton, PA		Sectional finals March 15, 1997 Scranton, PA

Clark (MA)*	81

Emmanuel (MA)	88
		Emmanuel	52
Northeast Region
		Western Connecticut*	76
Western Connecticut*	86

Bates	65
				Western Connecticut	66

				Johns Hopkins	76
Elizabethtown*	69

Allentown	61
		Elizabethtown*	57
Mid-Atlantic Region
		Johns Hopkins	64
Cabrini	45

Johns Hopkins*	66
						Johns Hopkins	54

						Scranton	65
Salem State*	66

Williams	80
		Williams	61
Northeast Region
		Southern Maine*	68
Trinity (CT)	51

Southern Maine*	53
				Southern Maine	61

				Scranton	70
Alvernia*	63

Lycoming	45
		Alvernia	63
Mid-Atlantic Region
		Scranton	66*
Muhlenberg	54

Scranton*	83

Great Lakes sectional

Play-in round March 5, 1997 Campus sites		Second round March 8, 1997 Campus sites		Sectional semifinals March 14, 1997 Defiance, OH		Sectional finals March 15, 1997 Defiance, OH

Defiance*	92

Hanover	51
		Defiance*	85
Great Lakes Region
		Alma	72
Kenyon	59

Alma*	66
				Defiance	90

				Buena Vista	80
Buena Vista*	88*

Bethel (MN)	77
		Buena Vista*	80
West Region
		UC San Diego	77
Pomona-Pitzer	50

UC San Diego*	74
						Defiance	62

						Capital	79
Baldwin Wallace*	55

Calvin	58
		Calvin	44
Great Lakes Region
		Capital*	66
Bethany (WV)	46

Capital*	80
				Capital	70

				St. Thomas (MN)	64
St. Benedict*	97

Chapman	59
		St. Benedict	67
West Region
		St. Thomas (MN)*	95
Luther	47

St. Thomas (MN)*	89

Central sectional

Play-in round March 5, 1997 Campus sites		Second round March 8, 1997 Campus sites		Sectional semifinals March 14, 1997 Decatur, IL		Sectional finals March 15, 1997 Decatur, IL

Millikin*	61

Washington St. Louis	53
		Millikin*	81
Central Region
		Wisconsin–Stout	77
Wheaton (IL)	60

Wisconsin–Stout*	65
				Millikin	51

				Emory	43
Emory*	70

Greensboro	51
		Emory*	40
South Region
		Hendrix	36
SCAD	54

Hendrix*	76
						Millikin	63

						Wisconsin–Eau Claire	67
Wisconsin–Oshkosh*	89

Blackburn	52
		Wisconsin–Oshkosh	56
Central Region
		Wisconsin–Eau Claire*	63
Beloit	57

Wisconsin–Eau Claire*	78
				Wisconsin–Eau Claire	90

				Thomas More	55
Bridgewater (VA)*	82

Christopher Newport	72
		Bridgewater (VA)*	81
South Region
		Thomas More	83
Thomas More	80

Roanoke*	76

Final Four

Final Four March 21, 1997 New York, NY		National championship March 22, 1997 New York, NY

NYU	84

Scranton	72
		NYU	72

		Wisconsin–Eau Claire	70
Capital	63

Wisconsin–Eau Claire	77	Third place


		Scranton	48

		Capital	70

All-tournament team

Marsha Harris, NYU
Jennifer Krowlikowski, NYU
Allison Berg, Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Erika Schmidt, Wisconsin–Eau Claire
Kristin Long, Capital

References

^ Restivo, Liam (March 17, 2024). "NYU women's basketball wins national championship undefeated". Washington Square News.
^ DeAngelis, Jenna (March 17, 2024). "NYU women beat Smith to win program's 2nd NCAA D-III basketball championship". CBS News.
^ "Division III Women's Basketball Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved March 21, 2024.
^ Ryu, Kevin (September 14, 2020). "The '96-'97 NYU Women's Basketball Team Was Impossibly Good". Washington Square News.
^ Otis, John (March 23, 2012). "N.Y.U.'s 1997 National Title Team Is Still Doing Well". New York Times.

[1] Restivo, Liam (March 17, 2024). "NYU women's basketball wins national championship undefeated". Washington Square News.

[2] DeAngelis, Jenna (March 17, 2024). "NYU women beat Smith to win program's 2nd NCAA D-III basketball championship". CBS News.

[3] "Division III Women's Basketball Championship Results" (PDF). NCAA. NCAA.org. Retrieved March 21, 2024.

[4] Ryu, Kevin (September 14, 2020). "The '96-'97 NYU Women's Basketball Team Was Impossibly Good". Washington Square News.

[5] Otis, John (March 23, 2012). "N.Y.U.'s 1997 National Title Team Is Still Doing Well". New York Times.

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