Central Islip, N.Y. – With the conclusion of regular season play, the field for the 2013 East Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships are now set.

With a change to the format of the tournament, each game will be played on campus sites as opposed to a pre-determined site. Quarterfinal action begins on Tuesday, March 5 when the men's quarterfinals tip off and will conclude with the women's championship game on Sunday, March 10.  

The Dowling women’s basketball and Bridgeport men’s basketball teams earned the top seeds and home-court advantage throughout in the respective tournaments by capturing regular season championships.

Men’s Basketball

For the second time in three years, the University of Bridgeport clinched the top seed in the conference championship, finishing with a record of 15-3. Before losing their regular season finale, the Purple Knights had won 12 in a row and 16 out of 17 games.

Bridgeport will take on the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 matchup that features Molloy hosting Queens. Molloy woth both regular season meetings with Queens by a combined total of three points. 

New York Institute of Technology receives the other bye after taking a tie-breaker over LIU Post and Molloy. All three squads finished with 13-5 ECC records, but due to a 4-0 record against LIU Post and Molloy, the Bears clinched the No. 2 seed.

The other quarterfinal has No. 6 seed, Dowling, traveling to face No. 3 seed, and two-time defending ECC Champion, LIU Post. The two schools last met on January 30 when LIU Post squeaked out a 70-69 win.

Women’s Basketball

On the women’s side, top seeded and defending ECC Champion, Dowling, earned their second straight ECC Regular Season Championship with a 17-1 record in conference play. As the top seed, the Golden Lions earn a bye into the semifinals. 

In the semifinals, Dowling will face off against the winner of the No. 4 vs. No. 5 quarterfinal matchup which features the LIU Post Pioneers hosting the St. Thomas Aquinas Lady Spartans. LIU Post swept the season series between the schools, winning 67-51 and 65-41 respectively.

Joining Dowling with a first round bye is New York Institute of Technology. The Bears earned the second seed with a 14-4 record in conference action.

Bridgeport earns the No. 3 seed and will host the No. 6 seed, Queens College. Both squads have posted turnaround seasons after missing out on the tournament a year ago. Bridgeport has doubled their 2012 win total, while Queens has gone from a 1-25 record to a spot in the tournament in one season. Bridgeport has won two close match-ups between the schools this year, winning 79-69 in overtime and 66-62. 

All games during the championship will be broadcast live. The quarterfinal and semifinal match-ups will be available on the ECC iHigh network (www.ihigh.com/eccsports).  The final broadcast, provided by the Pack Network, will be shown in high-definition on www.eccsports.tv. To read twitter updates throughout the tournament, follow us @ECCsports.  Tournament recaps, highlights, interviews, and box scores will also be available on www.eccsports.org at the tournament specific web pages.

2012 East Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Championship
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, March 5
No. 6 Dowling at No. 3 LIU Post – 7:00 PM
No. 5 Queens at No. 4 Molloy – 7:00 PM

Semifinals – Thursday, March 7 
DOW/LIUP at No. 2 NYIT  – 7:00 PM
QC/MOL at No. 1 Bridgeport – 7:30 PM

Final – Saturday, March 9
at highest remaining seed – 1:00 PM

To view the ECC Men's Basketball Tournament page, click here.

2013 East Coast Conference Women’s Basketball Championship
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, March 6
No. 6 Queens at No. 3 Bridgeport  – 7:00 PM
No. 5 St. Thomas Aquinas at No. 4 LIU Post – 7:00 PM

Semifinals – Friday, March 8
STAC/LIUP at No. 1 Dowling – 6:00 PM
QC/UB at No. 2 NYIT - 6:00 PM

Final – Sunday, March 10
at highest remaining seed – 1:00 PM

To view the ECC Women's Basketball Tournament page, click here.