Feb. 27, 2006

BEVERLY, MA - Endicott College secured an automatic bid in the NCAA Division III National Tournament by capturing its third consecutive Commonwealth Coast Conference title.

The Gulls (19-9) will take on Tufts University (21-6) of the New England Small College Athletic Conference in the opening round of the NCAA's. The Jumbos were a Pool C selection, meaning they did not win the NESCAC Tournament and did not receive an Automatic bid. Endicott enters the tournament winners of four straight while the Jumbos lost to Amherst College, which received a first round bye in the NCAA Tournament, in overtime, 94-86.

The game will be at Cortland State (the host site for the four-team bracket) on Friday, March 3, 2006. No time has been determined for the contest as of this morning. The winner of the Endicott/Tufts game will take on the Cortland/UMass-Boston winner.

The complete NCAA Division III bracket is available by clicking here.

Hamilton, Amherst, Worcester Polytechnic Institute and fellow CCC member Gordon are also in the tournament. Endicott suffered a one-point buzzer-beating loss to WPI - the team's only loss at home. The Gulls split with Gordon during the regular season, and lost to both Amherst and Hamilton.

Endicott is making its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance. Head coach Chris Millette is the first men's basketball coach in the program's history to win a conference title and make the NCAA Tournament in his first season. Millette is also looking to become the first hoops' coach to win an NCAA Tournament game.

The Gulls lost at Western Connecticut in the 2004-2005 NCAA Tournament and Babson came to MacDonald Gymnasium and upended Endicott during the 2003-2004 NCAA Tournament.