NCAA INTERACTIVE BRACKET | LEHIGH PREVIEW
 
DURHAM, N.C. — No. 15 Lehigh (27-6, 15-3 PL), the 2025 Patriot League Women’s Basketball Champion, will face ACC Champion No. 2 Duke (26-7, 14-4 ACC) on Friday in the NCAA DI Women’s Basketball Championship First Round at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: Tip-off is scheduled for 8 p.m. on ESPNU. Jenn Hildreth will handle play-by-play, with Kelly Gramlich providing color analysis.

NCAA DI WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FIRST ROUND
NO. 15 LEHIGH MOUNTAIN HAWKS (27-6, 15-3 PL) VS. NO. 2 DUKE BLUE DEVILS (26-7, 14-4 ACC)
Cameron Indoor Stadium/Durham, N.C.
BROADCAST (ESPNU): PxP- Jenn Hildreth; Analyst- Kelly Gramlich
ABOUT LEHIGH: The Mountain Hawks enter the NCAA Tournament after three consecutive double-digit wins in the Patriot League Tournament, earning their fifth title in program history.
*Lehigh used its defense to defeat No. 8 Boston University 62-44, forcing 20 Terrier turnovers. In the semifinals, the Mountain Hawks beat two-time defending champion No. 5 Holy Cross 65-44, causing 23 turnovers. They claimed the title with a dominant second half against No. 2 Army West Point.
*Fifth-year guard Maddie Albrecht was named Championship MVP after averaging 16.0 points per game across the three tournament wins. Senior guards Colleen McQuillen and Ella Stemmer joined her on the All-Tournament Team.
*Albrecht and Stemmer earned All-League honors, with Albrecht earning a first-team selection after ranking third in scoring (15.7 ppg), 11th in rebounding (5.4 rpg), and third in steals (1.8 spg). Stemmer was named to the second team, ranking 13th in scoring (11.3 ppg), second in three-pointers made (75), and third in three-point percentage (.356).
*Head coach Addie Micir was named Patriot League Coach of the Year after leading Lehigh to 27 wins and its first outright regular-season title since 2009-10. She is the first Lehigh women's basketball coach to earn the honor since Sue Troyan in 2008-09.
 
ABOUT DUKE: No. 3 Duke defeated No. 1 NC State 76-62 in the ACC Championship game to earn the 2024-25 ACC title. The Blue Devils received a double-bye in their conference tournament, defeating No. 6 Louisville 61-48 in the quarterfinals and No. 2 Notre Dame 61-56 in the semifinals.
*In the championship game, sophomore forward Oluchi Okananwa recorded 22 points and 10 rebounds to lead Duke in overcoming a 14-point deficit against the Wolfpack.
*Okananwa was named Tournament MVP, with freshman guard Ashlon Jackson joining her on the All-Tournament Team.
*The Blue Devils are led by three double-figure scorers: freshman forward Toby Fournier (13.4 ppg), junior guard Ashlon Jackson (12.4 ppg), and sophomore guard Oluchi Okananwa (10.4 ppg).
 
LEHIGH WOMEN’S BASKETBALL FRIDAY PRESS CONFERENCE
Q. Can you speak on getting your team ready and preparing them to keep up with the momentum of postseason basketball?
 
ADDIE MICIR: Yeah, joy and effort, that's been our focus. We see that every day that that is a choice, and this is a team that has actively chosen that throughout Patriot League play, throughout the playoffs. We talk about this just being bonus, and they have continued to choose that every day. When you have those six seniors who lead with that way, with empathy, with competitiveness, it really hasn't been something that our staff has had to do. They don't have to get ready because they're just staying ready.
 
Q. The players were talking about having such a veteran team of seniors and that they're allowed to call huddles and to kind of call some shots themselves a little bit, like you trust them with the level of leadership. How did that develop, and how do you think that helps the team?
 
ADDIE MICIR: It developed over time. When you watch us play, we run a motion style offense. Our staff jokes that we're more like soccer coaches than we are basketball coaches.
We do a lot of teaching at practice, and then when it's game time -- we have to teach reads at practice and do all of that, but game time they get to play, and they get to make mistakes.
One thing that we say is that mistakes of aggression are always welcome in our program. You have to go out there and play hard, and basketball is a game of mistakes.
This group and this veteran group, they're unafraid to go make plays, and they're unafraid to make mistakes. As a coach, that's what you want because you need some guts to win in March.

For more from Coach Micir, Ella Stemmer and Maddie Albrecht, click below.
LEHIGH PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPTS: COACH MICIR | STEMMER AND ALBRECHT
 
LEHIGH HISTORY IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT
1996-97 No. 1 UConn 103, No. 16 Lehigh 35
2008-09 No. 2 Auburn 85, No. 15 Lehigh 49
2009-10 No. 4 Iowa State 79, No. 13 Lehigh 42
2020-21 No. 4 West Virginia 77, No. 13 Lehigh 53
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE TOURNAMENT VICTORIES
Lehigh is aiming to make history as the second Patriot League team to earn a NCAA Tournament victory since the League's inception in the 1990-91 season. Holy Cross remains the only Patriot League team with a Tournament win having earned two. In 1991, the Crusaders upset No. 6 Maryland 81-74. Last season, Holy Cross downed UT Martin, 72-45, in the First Four. The Mountain Hawks have an opportunity to make further history by becoming the first No. 15 seed to win a game in NCAA Women's Tournament history.
 
PATRIOT LEAGUE TEAMS AS A NO. 15 SEED
1995-96: No. 2 Old Dominion 83, No. 15 Holy Cross 56
1999-2000: No. 2 Rutgers 91, No. 15 Holy Cross 70
2001-02: No. 2 Baylor 80, No. 15 Bucknell 56
2004-05: No. 2 Ohio State 86, No. 15 Holy Cross 45
2005-06: No. 2 Tennessee 102, No. 15 Army West Point 54
2008-09: No. 2 Auburn 85, No. 15 Lehigh 49
2011-12: No. 2 Maryland 59, No. 15 Navy 44
2012-13: No. 2 Kentucky 61, No. 15 Navy 41
2022-23: No. 2 Maryland 93, No. 15 Holy Cross 61
 
ABOUT THE PATRIOT LEAGUE
The Patriot League is in its fourth decade of academic and athletic achievement, continually demonstrating that student-athletes can excel at both academics and athletics without sacrificing high standards. The Patriot League’s athletic success is achieved while its member institutions remain committed to its founding principle of admitting and graduating student-athletes who are academically representative of their class. Participation in athletics at Patriot League institutions is viewed as an important component of a well-rounded education.