Bowling Green State University Athletics
Falcons Receive First-Round Bye, Second-Round Home Game in WNIT
March 16, 2009 | Women's Basketball
March 16, 2009
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (BGSUFalcons.com) - The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team has received a first-round bye for the Women's National Invitation Tournament, and the Falcons will host a second-round game in the 48-team tourney. Head coach Curt Miller's team will meet either Canisius or Syracuse at venerable Anderson Arena.
WNIT Bracket in PDF Format
Ticket information for BGSU's game (will be updated as info. becomes available)
Syracuse will host Canisius on Wednesday (March 18) at 7:00 p.m. The date and time of BGSU's second-round game has yet to be determined. Second-round games are tentatively scheduled for Saturday through Monday, March 21-23. Information on tickets for BGSU's game will be updated HERE as it becomes available.
"We are very excited about getting the opportunity to play again," said Miller, who is leading BG into national postseason play for the fifth time in his eight years in Northwest Ohio. "We are glad that our body of work was recognized by the WNIT with a first-round bye, and we look forward to the challenge of taking on either Canisius or Syracuse.
"I have great respect for both programs. I have a personal relationship with the Canisius staff, and obviously, having spent four years coaching at Syracuse, it would be an honor and a fun opportunity to coach against the school that helped catapult my career."
Miller was an assistant coach on the Syracuse staff from 1994-98.
BGSU earned the Mid-American Conference's automatic berth in the WNIT by virtue of winning the league's regular-season title. The Falcons have won the MAC's regular-season crown in each of the last five seasons, and 2009 marks BG's fifth-straight appearance in a national postseason tournament.
This season marks the third time the Falcons have advanced to the Postseason WNIT, and the second trip in as many years. BG has a 1-2 record in the tourney. The Falcons hosted Butler in 1998, losing a 95-90 decision at Anderson in the team's first appearance. Last March, the Brown and Orange picked up a home win over Dayton (64-52; March 20, 2008) before losing at Michigan State, 74-66, two days later.
SU is 16-14 entering Wednesday's game vs. Canisius. The Orange posted a record of 5-11 in Big East Conference play, and suffered a narrow 63-61 loss to St. John's in the first round of the conference tournament.
Canisius will head to SU with a 24-8 record. The win total is the highest for the Golden Griffins since the program went to the Division I level. Canisius finished in second place in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference with a 14-4 league mark, then advanced to the championship game of the conference tournament before losing to Marist, 78-63.
The Falcons will take a 28-4 overall record into the second round of the WNIT. BGSU won the MAC's regular-season title with a 15-1 record, then posted MAC Tournament wins over Central Michigan and Toledo before losing to Ball State, 55-51, in Sunday's (March 15) title game.
BGSU has posted a 13-0 record at Anderson Arena this season to date, and the Falcons' 18-game homecourt winning streak is tied for the sixth-longest such streak in the country.
"We are genuinely excited about playing another game in front of our home fans at Anderson Arena. It will also allow our fans to enjoy the Lindsey Goldsberry 'Farewell Tour' and express their appreciation for all she has done for the BGSU program. We have had some incredible crowds this year, and we look forward to a great environment at Anderson for this postseason game."
The WNIT kicks off postseason action Wednesday (March 18) with first-round games. All games are held on the campuses of participating schools. A total of 32 teams will play in the first round, while 16 teams received a bye and will begin their tournament with a second-round game. The Postseason WNIT features 16 first-round games, followed by 16 second-round games, eight third-round games, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal games and the championship. The WNIT championship game will begin at 2:00 p.m. ET Saturday, April 4, and will be hosted by one of the two final participating schools.
The WNIT awards an automatic berth to each of the nation's 31 conferences. The spot goes to the team that finishes the highest in the regular-season conference standings that does not advance to the NCAA Tournament. If there is a tie, the WNIT abides by the conference tiebreaker. To be considered for a WNIT automatic or at-large berth, a team must have an overall record of .500 or better.
Game times will be announced Tuesday, March 17, by the WNIT. For more information, visit the tournament's website at womensnit.com.
BGSU's POSTSEASON WNIT HISTORY
March 13, 1998 BUTLER L, 90-95 March 20, 2008 DAYTON W, 64-52 March 22, 2008 at Michigan State L, 66-74 2009 SYRACUSE/CANISIUS TBA
