An at-large bid to the NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Tournament is an invitation. There is nothing automatic about it, and it is not promised to any team.
That is why Seton Hill coach Maeve Gallagher wants her players to know they did indeed earn a spot in the national bracket. And her seniors earned another opportunity to be great.
Making the big dance for the second year in a row, Gallagher said, is a tribute to her seniors, a group that has made a lasting impression on the program and is not ready to play its final game.
They want to put a shine on their legacy.
“The one thing that is, has and always held us back here is believing we belong there,” Gallagher said. “This is a special group. … They’re my babies. I have watched their evolution. I am so happy they get to go out and punch again. They are going in with a full head of steam.”
Fourth-seeded Seton Hill (21-8) opens the Atlantic Regional at 7:30 p.m. Friday against No. 5 Fayetteville State (21-5) at IUP.
The Griffins reached the PSAC semifinals for the first time — another benchmark for the seniors — and backed top-seeded Gannon into a corner with a fourth-quarter comeback before falling 79-73.
Seton Hill trailed by 22 and cut the margin to three with two minutes to go.
“I hate losing more than anything,” senior guard Hallie Cowan said. “My freshman year I didn’t know much about the PSAC or what it meant to win it. This year, we absolutely thought we could win it. I was devastated because I knew I couldn’t come back next year and try again. It’s great to know we have another chance to go out and punch someone in the face.”
Gallagher has seen her team rally before, and she was not surprised they nearly came all the way back in their semifinal debut.
“That’s kind of always been our super power,” Gallagher said. “We’re never out of a game. I say, I’ll tell you when we’re out of it. That hasn’t happened to us very often.
“All the work they’ve done and time they’ve put in has allowed us to be fearless.”
Cowan and her twin, senior guard Helene Cowan, have been identical faces of the program. Both are fourth-year starters, along with senior Abby Mankins, the former Greensburg Salem standout.
The Griffins’ rotation is about seven deep for the postseason. Five players are seniors, including the Cowans, a pair of career 1,500-point scorers who have played in a combined 116 of 118 career games.
The backcourt pair that won three WPIAL championships and a PIAA title at Chartiers Valley has helped the Griffins average 84.1 points per game.
Hallie Cowan averaged 18.5 points and Helene Cowan 16.7. Mankins, who averages 32.1 minutes, does a little bit of everything for the fast-paced Griffins, who also feature star junior Mia Kalich (13.9 ppg, 11.7 rebounds, 36.4 minutes).
Junior Hailee Ford averages 12.8 points.
“The Cowan twins, their names belong up in the rafters,” Gallagher said. “Abby is a backyard kid. She’s never going to get all-conference, but we don’t win 20-plus games without her. She’s our anchor.”
The core senior group has won 74 games in four years and helped the team finish 24-7 last season.
“One of the main reasons that drew me to Seton Hill was the group of competitors we have; I played AAU with some of these girls,” Mankins said. “I love Greensburg. From freshman year to now, we have all wanted something more. For a lot of us, it’s the end. We want to keep it going.”
Last year, Seton Hill made the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 15 years. The Griffins beat Kutztown, 87-75, and fell to Gannon, 80-70, in the Atlantic Regional.
Returning to the NCAA Tournament is another notch on their legacy.
“It’s really cool to make history,” Helene Cowan said. “Knowing we had a big role in changing the program means a lot.”
The other senior players are Corinne Eisner, Madelyn Fike, Anna Rafferty (Latrobe) and Emma Fischer.
Additional seniors are Ayannah Elliott (student coach) and Maria Morales (team manager).
“I have this saying, ‘Start of the standard,’” Gallagher said. “What these (seniors) have done here, the culture they’ve created, the ceiling they put in place — it’s a big part of these nine women.”
Gallagher, who said she always dreamed of becoming a head coach in the PSAC, wants Seton Hill to shed its underdog role, something the seniors have worked toward accomplishing.
If they do, maybe they should change their mascot to … the Presidents?
“You know James Monroe?” Gallagher said. “Nobody knows who he is. But everybody knows George Washington. Everyone knows Georgie. I ask the girls, do you want to be James Monroe or George Washington?”
Three more wins could get the Griffins their first region title. Six more and they would be national champions.
Friday’s winner will play the winner of Charleson (21-10) and IUP (26-3) in the semifinals Saturday.
Other quarterfinal matchups include Gannon (28-4) vs. Edinboro (19-13), and Winston Salem State (26-3) vs. Glenville State (24-6).
The regional final will be Monday.
Eight regional winners will advance to the “elite eight” March 24-28 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.