The disappointment of losing in the finals of the Conference Carolinas Athletic Association Basketball Tournament finals didn’t last long. Just over 24 hours after Anderson fell to Mount Olive, the Lady Trojans learned they were going dancing for the fifth consecutive time.

“I think the kids shook it off,” said Anderson coach Jeff Dow. “They were excited watching the selection show and seeing ‘Anderson’ come up on the screen. They also showed some highlights of our season, and that got them excited, too. Plus, we had a really good practice (Monday).”

Anderson (27-3) remained the third seed in the East Region, and earned an at-large bid to the East Regional. Action begins Friday on the campus of Indiana University at Pennsylvania when the No. 12 Lady Trojans take on Fairmont State (25-6).

Tip-off is set for 2:30 p.m. at Memorial Fieldhouse.

“It turned out as we expected it would,” Dow said. “We thought our body of work and having the sixth best record in the country was good enough to hang on to the No. 3 seed, and we’re fortunate the (NCAA Selection Committee) saw it that way.”

In the other first-round games, top-seed and host Indiana (Pa.) (27-4) will play No. 8 Mount Olive (20-10); No. 4 West Liberty State (24-5) will face No. 5 Shepherd (22-6); and No. 2 California (Pa.) will take on No. 7 Millersville (24-6).

Anderson is 5-4 in NCAA Tournament competition and 4-0 in first round games — including a victory over Fairmont States two seasons ago.

“Fairmont State is a solid team,” Dow said. “They made a late run and won their conference tournament. They have pretty good size, and they are well-coached. We believe we can compete with the teams in the tournament,” he said. “The challenge for us is to take it deeper than any Anderson team has before.”

The Fighting Falcons, winners of the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Association tourney, feature four starters ranging from 5’10” to 6’1”.

“They also have a 5’8” guard, Ashley Vavrek, who is a phenomenal 3-point shooter,” Dow said. “They’re a lot bigger than most teams we’re accustomed to.”

Fairmont State also showcases 5’10” swing player Danielle Cornish, who averages 15.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, as well as 6’1” center Gabby Gattuso. A transfer from Eckerd, where she scored 921 points in two seasons, Gattuso tallied a game-high 20 points in Fairmont State’s 63-49 victory over West Virginia Weslyan in the WVIAC tourney finals.

“They shoot 45 percent from the field and 40 percent from 3-point range, which is really good,” Dow said. “And they’ve gotten to the free throw line 200 more times than their opponents, which is almost identical to us. But really, they aren’t like any team we’ve played this year.”

Dow said that could be a good thing. After taking on 23 consecutive foes from Conference Carolinas, the Lady Trojans are looking forward to a change of scenery.

“We’re excited about a new challenge,’ Dow said. “As much as we accomplished in the regular season, this is bigger.”

Anderson enters the contest with three 1,000-point scorers — Nikki Anthony, Keana Boyd and Mikala Fogle-Wilson. The Lady Trojans also have a strong bench, which could prove to be the difference Friday.

“In Fairmont State’s championship game, they had three kids play 40 minutes and one play 37,” Dow said. “They aren’t very deep, and we hope to take advantage of that.”