Men's Basketball | 3/12/2019 10:20:00 AM

    INDIANA, Pa. – The West Liberty University men's basketball team will begin pursuit of its sixth regional title in the last nine years here Saturday afternoon when the 2019 NCAA Division II Atlantic Region Tournament tips off at the 4,000-seat Kovalchick Convention and Athletic Center on the campus of Indiana (Pa.) University.
    Game times and ticket information were released late Monday night by the IUP administration.
    Coach Ben Howlett's Hilltoppers (26-4) earned the No. 2 seed after winning their second straight Mountain East Conference championship. Their quarterfinal matchup against defending regional champion and No. 7 seed East Stroudsburg (21-7) is set for a 2:30 p.m. tipoff.
    That follows the noon tournament opener between No. 6 seed Notre Dame (23-8), which upset WLU, 100-96, in Sunday's MEC Tournament championship game, and No. 3 seed Virginia State (27-4), the CIAA regular season and tournament champion.
    Host and No. 1 seed Indiana, Pa. (29-2) hits the floor at 5 p.m. against No. 8 seed West Chester (22-8) with No. 4 seed Mercyhurst (23-6) closing out the quarterfinals at 7:30 p.m. against No. 5 seed Fairmont State (22-8).
    Saturday's survivors advance to semifinal action at 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. on Sunday with the Atlantic Region championship game set for a 7 p.m. start on Tuesday.
    All tickets are general admission with 150 seats behind each team bench blocked off for fans of that school. They will be asked to move following their game to make room for fans of the next team. Daily ticket prices are set at $12 for adults and $7 for youth (age 3-18), senior citizens (age 65-over) and students of participating institutions with proper ID.
    Tickets will be available at the KCAC box office during normal business hours through Friday and all day Saturday. The box office will open at 1 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are also available online at IUPtix.com or by phone at (800) 514-3849. Additional fees may apply.
    The Atlantic Region champion advances to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight, which is scheduled for March 27-30 at The Ford Center in Evansville, Ind.
  No. 3 Virginia State (27-4) vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (23-8) Noon
No. 2 WEST LIBERTY (26-3) vs. No. 7 East Stroudsburg (21-7), 2:30 p.m.
No. 1 Indiana, Pa. (29-2) vs. No. 8 West Chester (22-8), 5 p.m.
No. 4 Mercyhurst (23-6) vs. No. 5 Fairmont State (22-8), 7:30 p.m. Virginia State/Notre Dame winner vs. WEST LIBERTY/East Stroudsburg winner, 5 p.m.
Indiana/West Chester winner vs. Mercyhurst/Fairmont State winner, 7:30 p.m. Sunday's winners, 7 p.m.