WINFIELD, Kan. – (Bracket) The official bracket for the 2013 NAIA Div. II Women's Basketball Championship was released by the NAIA National Office Wednesday evening. The Lady Builders will open their third-straight national tournament trip against the Mountaineers from Eastern Oregon University at noon on Thursday, March 7 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.

Southwestern drew the No. 8 seed in the "Third Quadrant" of the tournament bracket, while the Mountaineers are the top seed in that quadrant.

The Lady Builders finished their 2012-13 season with a 23-7 overall record, including a 90-65 win in the championship game of the 2012-13 Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference Championship game Tuesday evening at Hartman Arena in Park City. After trailing by five points at halftime, Southwestern shot 63 percent in the second half, put up 57 second-half points, and defeated Kansas Wesleyan University to bring the KCAC Tournament Championship trophy to Winfield for the first time. The Lady Builders are led by Jana Reichenberger, a 6-0 freshman forward from Wichita who was named the KCAC Freshman of the Year. Reichenberger averaged 11.6 points and 6.9 rebounds per game, and led the Lady Builders in both categories this season.

Southwestern will be making their fifth trip to Sioux City, and their third trip in as many years. The Lady Builders are 1-4 all-time in the national tournament, and dropped a 69-67 decision to Mount Mercy in last year's opening round contest.

Eastern Oregon, meanwhile, was ranked No. 3 in the final NAIA Div. II Women's Basketball Coaches Poll of the season. The Mountaineers finished the season with a program-best 31-2 overall record, and posted an 18-0 record against opponents in the Cascade Conference en route to a Cascade Conference regular season championship. EOU also won the Cascade Conference tournament with a 69-68 win over the College of Idaho on Monday. Senior guards Kelsea Hurliman and Brooke Randall were named to the All-Cascade Conference team, while 13^th-year head coach Anji Weissenfluh was named the Cascade Conference Coach of the Year.

EOU will travel to Sioux City for the seventh time in the program's history, and own a 3-6 record in NAIA tournament play. Two of those wins came in last season's tournament, when the Mountaineers defeated Ave Maria (66-58) and Concordia, Mich. (70-63) before dropping an Elite Eight contest to College of the Ozarks (74-55).

Thursday's opening round contest will be broadcast in Winfield on KSWC, 100.3 FM. Curt Caden will have the call from Sioux City.

--www.buildersports.com--