The Union County College Women's Basketball Team was named the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II Region XIX Champions and the NJCAA District N Champions on March 5 when they defeated Harcum College. This led the Lady Owls to the National Championships that were held in Harrison, Arkansas from March 10-24, 2018. After four tough games against community colleges from around the U.S., the Lady Owls ended their season ranked 7th nationally.
In the first game of the tournament, the 13th seed Lady Owls competed against the 4th seed Owens College. Owens defeated Union by a score of 82 to 64.
The Lady Owls continued to compete and won the following three games in the tournament, finishing as the 7th best team in the nation. In their second game, they defeated Cecil College from North East, Maryland by a score of 93 to 80 in overtime. Leading the Lady owls were Yamel Abreu with 14 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 steals and a total of 34 point; Jessica Woods with 13 rebounds, 4 blocks, and a total of 21 point; and Tania Scott with 2 assists, 2 steals, and a total of 12 points.
In their third game, the Lady Owls defeated Ancilla College from Plymouth, Indiana by a score of 61 to 47. This win advanced the Lady Owls to play in the championship game for 7th place. In this third and final game, the team faced a tough team from Macomb Community College from Warren, Michigan. The Lady Owls won by a score of 71 to 50. The top scorers in this game were once again, Jessica Woods with 14 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 steal, and a total of 17 points; Cynthia Ferreira with 8 rebounds, 2 assists, and a total of 17 points; and Yamel Abreu with 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 1 steal, and a total of 14 points.
The College is very proud of Lady Owl Yamel Abreu who was named to the NJCAA Division II National Tournament All-Tournament Team. Ms. Abreu was one of only 10 players of the tournament chosen to be a member of the All-Tournament Team. After the four competitive games in the tournament, the Lady Owls finished their season ranked 7th in the nation.
"This was a fabulous season for the Lady Owls. Their hard work on the court took them to compete in the national tournament and to finish their season nationally ranked. For her first season as full-time coach, Coach Montas set quite a few astounding records – in addition to those achieved by the team, she was named Region XIX Division II Coach of the Year. The College is very proud of our student-athletes, for their success both on the courts and in the classroom," stated Union's President Dr. Margaret M. McMenamin.