COLCHESTER, Vt. - The fifth-seeded Saint Michael's College women's basketball team will visit No. 4 American International College on Sunday for a Northeast 10 Conference Championship first-round game at 1:30 p.m. The Purple Knights were 10th in this week's NCAA East Region rankings, while AIC stood sixth.
 
The winner of Sunday's contest visits No. 1 Bentley University, the 12th-ranked team in the nation, next Thursday for a semifinal. Sunday's other first-round match-ups are No. 3 Assumption University/No. 6 Southern New Hampshire University and No. 2 Southern Connecticut State University/No. 7 Adelphi University. The winner of the March 8 title game receives an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Tickets for all postseason games are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and children, and free for students at NE10 schools with a valid ID.
 
Saint Michael's and AIC split their regular-season series, each winning at home. Junior Jayla Tyler (Albany, N.Y./Colonie Central/Saint Rose) scored 18 points to lead four double-digit Purple Knight scorers in an 81-66 loss in Springfield, Mass., on Jan. 21 before Saint Michael's capped its home slate with a 73-50 win last Tuesday on the strength of an 18-1 second-half run. Tyler again netted 18 points to pace four double-figure scorers. The teams have also split a pair of postseason meetings, both coming in NE10 Championship quarterfinals at their home gym. The Purple and Gold was victorious, 76-48, on March 1, 1992, before AIC won 79-61 on Feb. 28, 1994. Should the Purple Knights advance to face Bentley, the teams would square off in the postseason for the fourth time.
 
Under 13th-year head coach Shannon Bollhardt, Saint Michael's went 9-9 in league play while carrying a 14-12 mark into the postseason. Both victory totals are the Purple Knights' most since 2010-11, and their fifth-place finish in the final NE10 standings is their best since 1993-94. The Purple and Gold, which was 4-1 in its last five games, leads the NE10 in offensive rebounding (13.6), made free throws per game (12.3) and bench scoring (27.2) while placing second in steals per game (10.2).
 
Tyler paces the league in offensive rebounding (3.5) while standing sixth in rebounding (7.5) and tied for ninth in scoring (13.2), turning in eight of her nine double-doubles in the past 17 games. She adds 46 steals and 21 blocked shots while shooting 45.4%. Sophomore Margaret Montplaisir (Portsmouth, N.H./Portsmouth) leads the reserve scoring effort, tying for ninth in the league with 13.2 points, all off the bench. She paces the NE10 in made threes per game (2.3) and is fourth in three-point shooting (38.1%).
 
Junior Amber Furch (Los Angeles, Calif./Brentwood School) turns in 7.4 points and a team-best 47 steals, classmate Ruby Santos (New Paltz, N.Y./Kent School) notches 6.7 points, 5.2 boards, 2.8 offensive rebounds, 42 assists and 40 steals, while fifth-year senior Molly Brophy (Greenwich, N.Y./Greenwich Central School) tacks on 6.7 points and 45 steals. Junior Ashlee Talbot (Dracut, Mass./Dracut) leads the squad with 2.7 assists while contributing 6.0 points, classmate Bella Franchi (Colonie, N.Y./Colonie Central) has 5.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 12 blocks, and first-year Jasmine Becotte (Pelham, N.H./Lawrence Academy) adds 4.3 rebounds.