Submitted by Saint Martin’s University
Basketball teams from throughout the Northwest will convene at Marcus Pavilion Wednesday, March 5, as Saint Martin’s University hosts the 2014 Great Northwest Athletic Conference(GNAC) Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championship tournament. The University expects thousands of fans to attend the tournament, taking place at the home of the Saints for the third consecutive year.
The Saint Martin’s women’s basketball team will also take to the hardwood during the 2014 GNAC tournament, marking the first time a Saint Martin’s team has competed in the tournament since 2011.
“We are very proud to be represented by our women’s basketball team this year,” says Bob Grisham, athletics director for the University. “The Saint Martin’s community is additionally excited about extending a welcome to all of these talented athletes and supporters to our Lacey campus.”
The tournament will be held Wednesday through Saturday, March 8, at Marcus Pavilion, 5300 Pacific Ave. SE. Online tickets will be available at a discounted price until Tuesday, March 5, at 11:50 p.m., at Eventbrite.
Please note there will be no pass lists and Saint Martin’s University season tickets will not be valid for the GNAC tournament.
Tournament passes are available online for $48 (reserved seating), $32 (general admission) and $16 (student/youth and seniors). Single session tickets are $12 (reserved seating), $8 (general admission) and $4 (student/youth and seniors).
Ticket prices at the door are $55 (reserved seating), $40 (general admission) and $20 (student/youth and seniors). Single session tickets at the door are $15 (reserved seating), $10 (general admission) and $6 (student/youth and seniors).
There are two sessions on Wednesday. The Pavilion will be emptied between sessions and a separate ticket will be required for the evening session. There is just one session each on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
The first session on Wednesday begins with men’s first-round games at noon and at 2:15 p.m. The noon game will match the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, while the 2:15 p.m. game will send the No. 5 seed against the No. 4 seed.
The second session will feature the women’s first-round games at 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. The 5:15 p.m. game will match the No. 3 and No. 6 seeds, while the 7:30 p.m. game will send the No. 5 seed against the No. 4 seed.
The men’s semifinal games will be played Thursday at 5:15 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., respectively, and the women’s semifinals will be played at the same times on Friday.
Saturday’s championship games will feature the men at 5:15 p.m. and the women at 7:30 p.m.
All 10 tournament games will be available online on GNACTV (www.gnacsports.com). The games will not be televised.
The winners of the tournament earn automatic berths in the NCAA Men’s and Women’s West Regional tournaments (March 14-17).
The NCAA will announce the eight qualifiers and pairings for the regional tournaments on Sunday, March 9 on ncaa.com. The women’s show will be at 7 p.m. Pacific followed by the men’s show at 7:30.
The regional winners advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight.
The men’s Elite 8 will be played March 26-29 at the Ford Center in Evansville, Ind. The women’s Elite 8 is scheduled for March 25-28 at the Erie Insurance Arena in Erie, Pa.
Complete details regarding the tournament, including ticket and bracket information, can be found on the GNAC website. Free parking is available in the parking lots surrounding Marcus Pavilion.
