Spartans Headed to MSAC Playoffs

Cayuga Community College Women's Basketball will face a familiar opponent in the opening round of the Mid-State Athletic Conference (MSAC) tournament this week.

The Spartans enter the MSAC tourney as the third seed and will face the second-seeded Jefferson Community College Cannoneers on Friday, Feb. 23. The teams played twice during the regular season, with the Cannoneers earning a home win in November and the road win over the Spartans in January.

Tipoff on Friday is scheduled for 5 p.m. at host site Onondaga Community College.

Cayuga won four of its final six conference games to earn the third seed, finishing with a 10-13 record and a 6-6 conference mark. The Spartans have relied on their defense for much of the season, holding teams to 55 points and forcing almost 20 turnovers per contest.

On the offensive end, Cayuga features a balanced scoring attack, with four players averaging at least eight points per game. Freshman forward Haley Mosch leads the team with almost 14 points and eight rebounds per game, and freshman Lamontiona Johnson and sophomore Avrey Colton also average close to 10 points.

The Cannoneers are currently the #5 team in NJCAA Division III rankings, finishing the regular season with a 20-1 record and an 11-1 record in conference play. Their lineup includes five players averaging at least 10 points per game.

The winner of Friday's game between the Spartans and Cannoneers will face the winner of the later contest between fourth-seeded Corning Community College and the tournament's top seed, Onondaga Community College. The host Lazers are ranked sixth nationally.

The conference championship game is scheduled for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 24, also at OCC.