The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth women’s basketball team received star treatment on March 2 as it readied for its first NCAA Div. 3 tournament in the team’s four decade history.

The university celebrated with a parade — complete with police escort — prior to the March 3 faceoff against La Roche College in New Jersey. Players circled through campus and residential dorms in their bus, and then paraded through the Campus Center.

“I feel like a superstar. It’s like a red carpet,” said Nakira Examond, a sophomore forward who was honored as the Little East Conference Player of the Week multiple times over the season.

Examond and her teammates first learned that they were headed to New Jersey after gathering in the Tripp Athletic Center to watch the live NCAA selection announcement on February 27.

“When I first got to the room I was skeptical, but it sunk in that we still have a chance,” Examond said.

When the announcer read off UMass Dartmouth’s pairing, the entire room erupted in excitement, Examond recalled.

UMass Dartmouth Assistant Athletic Director Jim Mullins said that after the team closed its postseason with a loss on February 18, he didn’t think the team would qualify for the tournament.

But following the big announcement, women’s soccer Coach Kate Thomas-Moody stepped up to organize the parade with campus police, the chancellor’s office, and athletics on short notice.

“We always talk about the student-athlete experience,” Mullins said. “Sometimes the Div. 3 level doesn’t get the same attention as Div. 1 in the media. That doesn’t mean the campus can’t provide the same experience,” he said.

Looking back at the season, Examond said the team’s opening win against Worcester Polytechnic Institute stuck out as her proudest accomplishment.

“That set the tone for the rest of the season,” Examond said. The Corsairs closed its regular season with a 22-5 record, and exited the Little East Conference with a 11-3 record, the best record in team history, according to a university press release.

Following the campus celebration, UMass Dartmouth defeated La Roche, 71-64, then took a 71-63 win against Montclair State on March 4.

The Corsairs will take on SUNY New Paltz on March 10.