Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons to Open 2004-05 in Preseason WNIT
May 28, 2004 | Women's Basketball
May 28, 2004
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team is coming off one of the more successful seasons in school history, and folks around the nation are taking notice. The Falcons have accepted a bid to compete in the prestigious 2004 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT).
BGSU, which will be competing in the Preseason WNIT for the first time in school history, will play a first-round game on Nov. 12 against an opponent to be determined.
The Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament is an annual tourney featuring 16 of the nation's top NCAA Division I women's basketball teams. A team may participate no more than once in a four-year period. Additionally, only one institution per conference may play in the tournament in the same year.
"We are very excited about our opportunity to participate in the Preseason WNIT," said Falcon head coach Curt Miller. "It is a great honor to be chosen as the one Mid-American Conference team for this year's tournament, and we will anxiously await the announcement of the bracket and the pairings.
"We feel it is another sign that our program has raised the bar, and we look forward to future success for the BGSU women's basketball program."
The event involves 16 teams in a single-elimination format. All games, including the semifinals and championship, will be hosted by participating schools at their home facility.
The first-round games are scheduled to be played on Friday, Nov. 12, with the second round set for Sunday, Nov. 14. Semifinal contests will be played on Nov. 17 or 18, with the championship game held on Nov. 20, 21 or 22.
As mentioned, the Falcons will be making the school's first-ever appearance in the Preseason WNIT. BGSU has made one appearance in the Postseason WNIT, losing a 95-90 home decision to Butler in March of 1998.
For the Falcons, the Nov. 12 date will mark the earliest beginning to a season in school history. BGSU's earliest season-opening game came on Nov. 14, 1997, an 81-72 win at Youngstown State. Ironically, that was the season in which BG advanced to the Postseason WNIT.
The rest of the Preseason WNIT field, as well as the pairings, will be announced at a later date.
The Falcons finished the 2003-04 season with an overall record of 21-10, a nine-win improvement from the previous season, and advanced all the way to the championship game of the MAC Tournament. One of the most improved teams in the nation, BGSU had an 11-5 conference mark. The Falcons, picked to finish sixth in the West Division, finished in a second-place tie, just a game out of first. Miller and his staff had just two seniors, Lindsay Austin and Stefanie Wenzel, on the 15-player roster.
