CAMDEN, N.J. (Feb. 28, 2017) – When the Rutgers University-Camden women's basketball team tips off in the first round of the ECAC Division III Women's Basketball Championship Wednesday night, the Scarlet Raptors will be in familiar surroundings for the first time in over a decade.
 
After a taste of ECAC action last season, when they lost their Metro/Upstate semifinal game against the College of Staten Island, 65-63, the Scarlet Raptors return to the post-season field as part of the new-look ECAC tournament.
 
For the first time, the ECAC is combining all of its regions into one big tournament to crown an overall champion, as opposed to previous years where champions were named in every region. This year's event features 15 teams, with the overall top seed tabbed as Carnegie Mellon University. The Tartans drew a first-round bye in the three-team Region 1 and will host the quarterfinals through the championship game, beginning Friday night.
 
Rutgers-Camden (14-11) is the third seed in Region 4 and will open with a 7 p.m. game Wednesday at second-seeded Misericordia University (18-8). In Wednesday's other Region 4 game, the top seed, Stevenson University (17-9) will host No. 4 seed Cabrini University (16-12). The two Region 4 winners will advance to Friday night's ECAC quarterfinal action at Carnegie Mellon.
 
For the first time since the 2001-02 season, the Raptors will be playing in back-to-back ECAC tournaments. During the 2000-01 and 2001-02 campaigns, Rutgers-Camden reached the finals of the ECAC Div. III Metro NY/NJ tournaments both seasons, losing each time in the championship game. Tomorrow night at Misericordia, in Dallas, Pennsylvania, the Raptors will be looking for their first ECAC win since defeating Richard Stockton College (now Stockton University), 61-58, in the ECAC Metro NY/NJ semifinals on March 2, 2002. They lost the title game the next day, 78-66, against New York University.
 
Rutgers-Camden brings a 14-11 record into the tournament and hasn't played a game since losing to No. 15/16-ranked Montclair State University, 76-72, in Camden on Feb. 15. In addition to advancing in the playoffs and securing their first ECAC win since 2002, the Raptors have numerous other incentives to produce a sustained post-season run. A win on Wednesday would help fourth-year Head Coach Annette Reiter's team match their 15-11 record from last season. Those 15 victories were the most wins for the team since the 2002-03 squad went 22-7, won the New Jersey Athletic Conference title and earned the program's only NCAA tournament berth.
 
The Scarlet Raptors also have numerous individual goals within reach, including three players who are approaching 900 points for their collegiate careers. The closest is senior center Caroline Santiago (Buena, NJ/Buena Regional), who owns 879 points in her combined career at Cumberland County College and Rutgers-Camden. Santiago is averaging 7.3 points and is second on the team in rebounding (6.9 rpg).
 
Two juniors who were named to the All-NJAC Second Team - forward Michelle Obasi (Camden, NJ/Camden Catholic) and guard Jovan Childers (Bridgeton, NJ/Bridgeton) – aren't far from that 900-point milestone. Obasi, a team co-captain who has played all three of her collegiate seasons at Rutgers-Camden, enters the ECAC tournament with 856 points. She already ranks 17th on the program's all-time scoring list and needs only 15 points to tie for 16th place with Erin James (2001-04).
 
Childers, who started her career at Neumann University before exploding for a huge sophomore year at Cumberland County College, owns a combined 855 collegiate points. That total includes 343 points this season at Rutgers-Camden for a team-leading 16.3 average.
 
Obasi, meanwhile, leads the team in rebounding (8.8 rpg) and blocked shots (34). She is averaging 12.0 points, the third-highest total on the team.
 
Sophomore guard Gabby Greene (Howell, NJ/Howell) is second on the Raptors in scoring (13.3 ppg), assists (73) and steals (40), while already setting a single-season program record with 80 three-pointers. She had a program-record 11 treys against Rowan University on Jan. 25. In only her second season, Greene owns 132 career three-pointers for fourth on the all-time list. She is only 14 treys behind Megan Crank (1992-96) for third place in program history.
 
Rutgers-Camden's other co-captain, junior guard/forward Cara Racobaldo (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic), leads the team in assists (96) and steals (68), is third in rebounding (6.8 rpg) and fifth in scoring (9.5). Racobaldo also is chasing program history. With four more assists, she will become the only player in Rutgers-Camden history to collect three 100-assist seasons. She already is one of only three players with a pair of 100-assist seasons.
 
Racobaldo also is approaching the program's career assist record. With 345 assists, she is only 16 shy of tying the mark set by Rutgers-Camden Hall of Famer Karla Robinson (1990-94), who now serves as one of the Raptors' assistant coaches.
 
The Misericordia Cougars are led by first-year Head Coach Jason Rhine, who was named the MAC Freedom Coach of the Year. Senior forward Justine Seely (Benton, PA/Benton) was the MAC Freedom Player of the Year, while sophomore forward Rachel Carmody (Waymart, PA/Western Wayne) earned MAC Freedom Second Team honors and sophomore guard Japriya Carroll (York, PA/York Catholic) was Honorable Mention.
 
Misericordia is coming off a tough 84-81 double-overtime loss against DeSales University in the MAC Freedom semifinals (Feb. 22). Senior guard Shannon Croasdale (Milford, NJ/Delaware Valley Regional) scored a career-high 20 points in that game.
 
Seely is averaging a double-double for the season and leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg), rebounding (11.9 rpg), blocked shots (75) and steals (36). She also is third in assists (49).
 
Carmody is averaging 12.3 points and 8.4 rebounds, while Carroll owns an 8.5 scoring average and is second on the team with 61 assists. Sophomore guard Leanne Forsyth (Staten Island, NY/Notre Dame Academy) leads the Cougars with 69 assists.
 
ECAC Div. III Women's Basketball Championship bracket