FLORENCE, SC - The Francis Marion University women's basketball team learned Sunday night (March 8) that it has earned an at-large invitation to the NCAA Division II National Tournament, and that the Patriots will be the sixth seed in the Southeast Regional to be played in Harrogate, Tenn., on Friday, Saturday, and Monday (March 13, 14, 16). 

The three-day regional will be hosted by Lincoln Memorial University in its 5,009-seat B. Frank "Tex" Turner Arena.

The 64-team field announced on Sunday night included 23 automatic qualifiers and 41 at-large selections.  Winners of each of the eight regionals will advance to the Women's Elite Eight at the UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh, Pa., on March 24-28.

Francis Marion, which won Conference Carolinas' East Division title and was the top seed in the conference tournament where they lost a six-point decision in the semifinals, owns a 19-10 record and is making its second straight tournament appearance under 11th-year head coach Jeri Porter.

The Patriots will face the third seed, Coker University (25-6) in a first-round game on Friday at noon.  The Cobras defeated FMU 76-69 in this year's season-opening contest in Pembroke, N.C., on Nov. 14.

FMU is making its third overall tournament appearance under Porter, including 2016 when she guided the program to the regional championship and an appearance in the Elite Eight.  This will be Francis Marion's 12th appearance overall since moving to NCAA affiliation in 1992.  The Patriots earned invitations for five consecutive years between 1997 and 2001, reaching the round of Sweet Sixteen in four straight years (1998-2001) and making the 1998 Final Four.  In 2008, FMU hosted the regional as the sixth seed, and in 2009 the Patriots again reached the Sweet Sixteen as the fourth seed in the Southeast.  In 2010, FMU reached the round of 32, and in 2011 the Patriots earned their fourth consecutive bid.

In addition to FMU and Coker, the other teams in the Southeast Regional are No.1 seed Lincoln Memorial (25-4), No. 2 seed Lenoir-Rhyne University (24-5), No.4 seed Columbus State University (25-4), No.5 seed Carson-Newman University (21-10), No.7 seed Augusta University (21-9), and No. 8 seed Lees-McRae College (23-7).

Four first-round games will be played on Friday (March 13).  The semifinals will be played on Saturday (March 14) with the championship game set for Monday night (March 16).  

The Francis Marion/Coker winner will face the Lenoir-Rhyne/Augusta  winner in the semifinals on Saturday.

The three automatic berths in the Southeast Region were secured by Augusta (winner of the Peach Belt Conference Tournament), Coker (South Atlantic Conference Tournament champion), and Lees-McRae (Conference Carolinas Tournament winner).