Springfield, Mass. - December 20, 2012 - The Springfield College basketball programs will welcome in the New Year in usual fashion as they will serve as hosts for the Hampton Inn West Springfield/Naismith Classic on January 1-2.For the women, this marks the 18th annual tournament while the men will be hosting the Classic for the 26th year. Hampton Inn West Springfield will serve as the official sponsor for the fourth-straight year.
The action will kick off on January 1 at 1:00 pm when Springfield will square off against Swarthmore for the opening game of the women's tournament. Later that afternoon, Bridgewater State takes on the Eastern Connecticut at 3:00 pm.
At 5:30 pm, the men's tournament will commence with Springfield battling Colby, before Roger Williams and SUNY Purchase will square off at 7:30 pm.
On Wednesday, the women's consolation will take place at 1:00 pm, followed by the championship at 3:00 pm. The men's tournament will feature the consolation game at 5:30 pm and the title game beginning at 7:30 pm.
For all eight games during the weekend, live stats will be available by clicking here.
Entering her 22nd season as head coach in 2012-13, Naomi Graves has directed her squads to an impressive 306-156 record (.662 winning percentage) since joining the Division III ranks in 1995. Graves has led the Pride to 12 post-season bids in the past 17 years, including five berths in the NCAA Division III Tournament.
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