The 1988-89 women's basketball team was honored for being the first team in DeSales University history to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The team finished the season with a 24-6 record, won the Eastern States Athletic Conference (ESAC) Championship, and not only participated in the NCAA Tournament but defeated Franklin & Marshall College, 74-58, in the opening round.
Highlights of the season included an eight-game winning streak during the middle part of the season that started with a on December 30th over Rutgers-Newark and concluded with a win in the Manhattanville College Tournament Championship on January 22nd. A loss in the final regular season game to Frostburg State was avenged just one week later with a win over FSU, 82-68, in the championship game of the ESAC Tournament.
Individually, Karin Povish led the team in scoring (17.6 PPG) and rebounding (7.1 RPG). She was named an AWSF Fast Break NCAA Division III Fourth-Team All-American, named to the NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic Region All-Tournament Team, named ESAC Tournament Most Valuable Player, All-ESAC First-Team, Manhattanville College Tournament Most Valuable Player, and was named to the Muhlenberg College All-Tournament Team.
Junior Sue Zegac averaged 9.2 points per game, junior Patti Oakes averaged 9.1 points per game, senior Maureen Fitzpatrick totaled 8.2 points per game, and junior Carolyn Sanko rounded out the top scorers at 7.8 points per game. Sanko was also named to the All-Tournament Team at both the Muhlenberg College and Manhattanville College Tournaments. Junior Joanne Stiles was the team's floor leader averaging 5.0 assists per game.
Head coach Tom Shirley ended up coaching his last year with the Bulldogs that season, moving on to take a coaching position at Philadelphia University in which he has spent the last 16 years as of the team's induction in 2005. Shirley, who was inducted into the DeSales University Hall of Fame in 2003, finished his career with 148 wins at DeSales and has all-time coaching record of 494-219 entering the 2005-06 season.
Members of the team included: Maureen Dolan, Maureen Dugan, Traci Edinger, Maureen Fitzpatrick, Sue Impink, Donna Luft, Patti Oakes, Karin Povish, Paula Rizzuto, Carolyn Sanko, Terri Schultz, Joanne Stiles, Sue Zegac. The head coach was Tom Shirley and the assistant coach was Jerry Mayza.
