BIDDEFORD, Maine – The Suffolk women's basketball team will vie for the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) crown for the first time and do so as the fourth seed as the league office unveiled the 2022 CCC Women's Basketball Tournament bracket Saturday.
Suffolk, although first-year members in the CCC, continues its constant presence in the conference playoffs with the Rams never missing a trip for the past 27 years, all of which have come under head coach Ed Leyden's guidance. Suffolk will look to put an exclamation point on its first year in the CCC with the team's first-ever conference title.
The Rams enter the field gunning for its first CCC banner and does so as the fourth seed. The fourth seed comes on the heels of a 12-6 regular-season and 18-7 mark against conference competition.
The blue-and-gold's quarterfinals foe Gordon heads to the tournament as the field's fifth seed behind a 9-9 league ledger and 11-13 overall mark.
In the regular-season, Suffolk swept the two-game series with the Fighting Scots. Overall, the Rams have fun off six victories in a row over Gordon to sit 6-1 all-time against one another. The foes will battle in the postseason for the first time.
In its 25 tournament appearances, all of which came in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC), Suffolk has moved onto to the semifinals on 12 occasions and competed in the championship five times.
Suffolk's journey for conference glory commences in the quarterfinals Tuesday, Feb. 22 when the Fighting Scots visit Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court for a 7:30 p.m. battle.
The 2022 tournament, that features all 10 conference teams following a membership-wide decision to expand this year's field due to rescheduling challenges created by COVID-19 protocols, begins with first round contests Monday, Feb. 21. The semifinals are on the schedule for Thursday, Feb. 24 with the championship etched on the calendar Saturday, Feb. 26.
2022 CCC Women's Basketball Tournament
First Round – Monday, Feb. 21
#10 Curry at #7 Western New England – 7 p.m.
#9 Wentworth at #8 Nichols – 7 p.m.
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 22
Lower-seeded First Round Winner at #1 Roger Williams
Higher-seeded First Round Winner at #2 University of New England
#6 Salve Regina at #3 Endicott
#5 Gordon at #4 Suffolk
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 24
#1/Lower-seeded First Round Winner vs. #4/5 Winner
#2/Higher-seeded First Round Winner vs. #3/6 Winner
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 26
Semifinal Winners