EMMITSBURG, Md. -- Rebecca Lee had 18 points and 12 rebounds, and top-seeded Mount St. Mary's will return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 26 years with its 70-38 victory over No. 2 seed Wagner on Sunday in the Northeast Conference tournament championship.
It will be Mount St. Mary's third trip to the NCAA Tournament, and the first with coach Maria Marchesano in her fourth year with the Mountaineers. Last season, Marchesano led them to the NEC semifinals and its first 20-win season since 1999-2000.
The Mountaineers (17-6) previous trips to the NCAA Tournament were in 1994 and 1995.
Aryna Taylor also had 18 points and Michaela Harrison added 15 for Mount St. Mary's. Kendall Bresee, the NEC Player of the Year, had 10 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists.
Khaleah Edwards had 10 points to lead Wagner (13-6), which played in its first title game since 2000. The Seahawks won the championship in 1989.
Taylor scored seven points and Harrison had six as the Mountaineers outscored Wagner 22-11 in the second quarter and led 36-26 at the break. Lee converted a three-point play to spark a 14-2 run in the third quarter to help the Mountaineers pull away.
