18th-ranked Franklin Pierce to battle 9th-ranked Alaska Anchorage Wednesday, March 26, at 1 p.m. (EDT)

RINDGE, N.H. (March 19, 2008) – The 2008 NCAA Division II Women’s Basketball Elite Eight Schedule has been set and Franklin Pierce University, ranked 18th in the final regular season USA Today/ESPN/WBCA Division II poll, will battle No. 9 University of Alaska Anchorage in game one of four on day one of the national quarterfinal round on the campus of the University of Nebraska-Kearney on Wednesday, March 26, at 1 p.m. (EDT).

Tickets for the Women’s Elite Eight are on sale, with all-session adult general admission at $35.00 and student/senior citizen all-session general admission $25.00. Single session adult general admission is $10.00 and $8.00 for students and senior citizens. Children 2 and under will be admitted free in accordance with NCAA guidelines. Tickets may be purchased in advance by calling Michelle Smidt in the Nebraska-Kearney ticket office at 308/865-1563.

There will be live online or television coverage of all games at the Elite Eight. Wednesday’s quarterfinal rounds can be accessed via www.ncaa.com with a broadband or high speed internet connection. The national semifinals will be broadcast on ESPNU (DirecTV channel 609), with Saturday’s national championship game broadcast on ESPN2.

Franklin Pierce (27-5, 18-4 NE-10) won its first Northeast Regional championship with an 88-71 victory at top-seeded, No. 4-ranked, and previously unbeaten Holy Family University on Monday night in Philadelphia. Alaska Anchorage (29-4) captured the West Region Championship with a 50-44 win at No. 2-ranked and previously undefeated Seattle Pacific University on Monday.

The schools, separated by approximately 4,542 miles, will meet for the first time ever in next week’s national quarterfinals. The two Universities are also separated by a wide gap in enrollment, with 1,700 undergraduates attending Franklin Pierce and 19,692 enrolled at Alaska Anchorage.

The winner of Wednesday’s contest will face the winner of Wednesday’s second contest between South Atlantic region champions Wingate University (26-7) and Great Lakes champion Northern Kentucky University (25-8) in Thursday’s semifinal round at 8 p.m. (EDT). The national champion will be crowned on Saturday, March 29, at 6 p.m. (EDT).

2008 NCAA Division II
Women’s Elite Eight
Hosted by University of Nebraska-Kearney
All times eastern

Wednesday, March 26
Quarterfinals (NCAA.com/CSTV Broadband)
#18 Franklin Pierce (27-5) vs. #9 Alaska-Anchorage (29-4), 1 p.m.
Wingate (26-7) vs. Northern Kentucky (25-8), 3:30 p.m.
#23 California-Pennsylvania (27-6) vs. #1 Delta State (32-0), 7 p.m.
#24 Washburn (26-6) vs. #3 South Dakota (31-1), 9:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 27
Semifinals (ESPNU)
Franklin Pierce/Alaska-Anchorage winner vs. Wingate/Northern Kentucky winner, 8 p.m.
Cal-PA/Delta State winner vs. Washburn/South Dakota winner, 10:30 p.m.

Saturday, March 29
National Championship (ESPN2)
Semifinal winners, 6 p.m.