Hawks: A Chance to Make History

The Hartford women's basketball team will try to score the first NCAA tournament win in school history on Sunday, in a first-round game that is getting a lot of attention.

The 11th seeded Hartford Hawks will take on No. 6 Temple University at noon Sunday, at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, N.J. The game will be broadcast live on ESPN2 and on WWUH radio (91.3 FM or www.wwuh.org).

Tickets can be purchased at www.sovereignbankarena.com or by calling 888-SBA-TIXX. Single session tickets are $30. In addition, students can receive free tickets and faculty, staff, and alumni can buy tickets for $25 by going to the Campus Concierge in Gengras Student Union today (Friday) between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Those tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

A Highly Anticipated Game

The Hartford vs. Temple game has been touted as one of the most interesting match-ups in the first round of the NCAA women's tournament, in large part because of the showdown between Hartford Coach Jennifer Rizzotti and Temple Coach Dawn Staley. Both are former college stars who became Division I coaches while also playing in the WNBA.

“The real story is that this game pits two of the best, feistiest point guards-turned-coaches in college history against each other: the Owls' Dawn Staley and the Hawks' Jen Rizzotti,” writes Nancy Lieberman of ESPN.com.

You can read comments and predictions about the game from sportswriters around the country by going to the “Hawks Hoop-Blog,” at hawksncaa.blogspot.com. Be sure to visit the Hawks Hoop-Blog regularly for detailed coverage of the team’s NCAA experience by Jon Easterbrook, the radio voice of Hartford women's basketball.

The winner of Sunday's game between Hartford and Temple will advance to face No. 3 Georgia or No. 14 Marist in Trenton on Tuesday, March 21. From there, winning teams will advance to the regionals in Bridgeport, Conn.