The Eastern Florida State College women's basketball team has secured the No. 8 seed in the FCSAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship. The Titans will face the No. 1 seed, Northwest Florida State College, in their first-round matchup at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 10, at the host school's campus in Niceville. This marks the team's first appearance in the tournament since 2022.
The Titans clinched their spot with a 68-62 road victory over Florida Southwestern State College on February 28. The win gave them the final berth in the eight-team bracket. Coach Zack Banks said the team's resilience this season has been remarkable. 'It feels like we are a cat with nine lives this year,' he said. 'We got the nod to say we are in and can relax, get healthy, and compete with the best.'
The tournament, which runs through March 12, will feature games at Northwest Florida State College's Lee Hall Gymnasium. The Titans' first-round game against the hosts is the only matchup scheduled for Thursday. Semifinals and the championship game will take place on March 11 and 12.
EFSC finished the regular season with a 16-12 overall record and a 9-7 mark in FCSAA play. The team has relied on a balanced offense, with five players averaging double figures in scoring. Senior guard Kayla Thompson led the team with a 13.2 points-per-game average.
The tournament's field includes four teams from the Florida College System Athletic Conference, with EFSC joining Florida Southwestern State, Florida Gulf Coast University, and Florida State University. The Titans will look to advance past the first round for the first time since 2022.