Press Releases

Mar 09, 2000
Post-Season Honors for Rita Breivaite and the Lady Colonials

Contact:
Darren Johnson
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081

Rita Breivaite was named Women's Basketball Player of the Year in NCAA Division II/NAIA by the NIT/Metropolitan Basketball Writers Association. The Southampton College center also won the award last season.

Breivaite, a 6-3 senior from Panevyzys, Lithuania, led the Lady Colonials with 14 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and to a 20-8 record, the best in team history. The Lady Colonials also learned this week that they will be honored with the Anderson Sportsmanship Award, which was voted upon by referees in the New York Collegiate Athletic Conference. It is the third time in the past five years that the team has won the award.

"This award is a real honor, and one we worked hard to achieve," said Colonials coach Tony Bozzella. "It shows the class of our players and level of respect and pride other NYCAC teams take when they play us."

The Lady Colonials face Philadelphia University in the first round of the Eastern Collegiate Athletic Conference playoffs on Saturday, March 11, at SUNY-Binghamton. Southampton College is looking for its third-straight ECAC title.

Breivaite owns the Southampton College career rebound record (1340) and is third all-time in scoring (841). Last week, she was named an NYCAC First Team All Star. "Rita is a powerful force on both ends of the floor and was a key factor in turning our team into one of the region's best," Bozzella said.