Bowling Green State University Athletics
Chrissy Steffen & the Falcons host VCU in WNIT action Thursday (Craig Bell photo)
BGSU to Host VCU in WNIT First Round
March 12, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Falcons, Rams to meet Thursday night (March 15) at the Stroh Center
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team will host Virginia Commonwealth University in the first round of the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT). The Falcons of head coach Curt Miller will meet the Rams on Thursday night (March 15), with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.
Tickets for Thursday's game can be obtained through the BGSU Athletic Ticket Office in the Stroh Center, either by phone (877-BGSU TICKET) or in person during business hours (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.).
WNIT Bracket - PDF | Official Release from WNIT - Word document
“We are truly excited about the opportunity to host a first-round game and play in front of our great fans,” said Miller, who takes the Falcons into a national postseason tournament for the eighth consecutive season.
“I have great respect for Coach Beth Cunningham and the program that she has built at VCU. VCU has tremendous athleticism and outstanding players that will create many challenges for our young team.”
BGSU earned the Mid-American Conference's automatic berth in the 64-team WNIT by virtue of winning the league's regular-season title. The Falcons (24-6, 14-2 MAC) have won a divisional crown in each of the last eight seasons, and BG has captured the conference's outright crown in seven of those eight years, including 2012.
VCU earned an at-large bid out of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Rams (17-14, 9-9 CAA), the sixth seed in the CAA Tournament, downed William & Mary in the first round before falling, 65-61, to Drexel in the quarterfinals. VCU senior Courtney Hurt, a first-team all-league selection, surpassed the 2,000-point plateau in the Drexel game, becoming the first player (men's or women's) in school history to do so.
This season marks the fourth time the Falcons have advanced to the Postseason WNIT, and the third trip in the last five years. BGSU has a 2-3 record in the tourney, including a 2-2 mark in home games – all at venerable Anderson Arena – and a 2-2 ledger in the Miller Era.
The Falcons hosted Butler in WNIT action in 1998, losing a 95-90 decision at Anderson in the team's first appearance in the tourney. Four years ago, 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.
The following March, the Falcons were awarded a first-round bye in the then 48-team event, and BG played a pair of games at Anderson. The Falcons downed Syracuse by a 72-69 count in second-round action at “The House That Roars” (March 22, 2009), then fell to visiting Indiana, 75-67, in the third round (March 26, 2009).
BGSU enters the VCU game with a record of 14-1 at the Stroh Center, having tied the school record for home wins in a season. Fourth-year Falcons Maribeth Giese and Jessica Slagle have helped BGSU post a 55-3 mark in home games since their arrival on campus. The 2008-09 team set the school mark for home wins by going 14-1, and the '09-10 team was a perfect 13-0 at Anderson. Last year's edition of the Falcons, like this year's team, was 14-1 in home games.
Thursday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Falcons and Rams in women's basketball.
The BGSU-VCU winner will meet either Boston University or Saint Joseph's in the second round of the tournament, with that game to be played sometime from Saturday (March 17) through Monday (March 19). Should the Falcons win the first-round game vs. VCU, BGSU would go on the road to either Boston or Philadelphia for the second round, due to the Stroh Center's hosting the NCAA Championships First and Second Rounds.
The WNIT field features 64 teams with all games hosted by participating schools. The field includes 31 teams that earned an automatic berth, and 33 at-large selections.
Additionally, the WNIT field featured 36 teams with 20 or more wins this season. First-round action tips off on Wednesday (March 14) and concludes on Friday (March 16). Second-round games, as mentioned, will be held from March 17-19, with the third round scheduled for March 21-23, the quarterfinals from March 24-26, and the semifinals from March 28-29. The championship game will be played on Saturday, March 31.
The Pac-12, Colonial and Atlantic 10 led all conferences with five teams represented in this year's field. The MAC, along with the Big East, Big West and Missouri Valley, each added 4. Other conferences represented in the field include: Atlantic Coast (3), Southern (3), Summit (3), America East (2), Big 12 (2), Conference USA (2), Sun Belt (2), West Coast (2), Atlantic Sun (1), Big Sky (1), Big South (1), Horizon (1), Ivy (1), MAAC (1), MEAC (1), Mountain West (1), Northeast (1), Ohio Valley (1), Patriot (1), Southland (1), SWAC (1) and WAC (1).
The Postseason WNIT is owned and produced by Fort Collins, Colo.-based Triple Crown Sports, which also organizes men's and women's college basketball tournaments in Cancun, and the Preseason WNIT. Triple Crown is the leader in grassroots sports and manages over 300 amateur sporting events across the country in volleyball, fastpitch, baseball, and basketball. With 28 years of experience in the event business, Triple Crown is nationally-recognized as a premier tournament organization. For more information on the WNIT, visit the tournament's website at womensnit.com.
BGSU's POSTSEASON WNIT HISTORY
Tickets for Thursday's game can be obtained through the BGSU Athletic Ticket Office in the Stroh Center, either by phone (877-BGSU TICKET) or in person during business hours (9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.).
WNIT Bracket - PDF | Official Release from WNIT - Word document
“We are truly excited about the opportunity to host a first-round game and play in front of our great fans,” said Miller, who takes the Falcons into a national postseason tournament for the eighth consecutive season.
“I have great respect for Coach Beth Cunningham and the program that she has built at VCU. VCU has tremendous athleticism and outstanding players that will create many challenges for our young team.”
BGSU earned the Mid-American Conference's automatic berth in the 64-team WNIT by virtue of winning the league's regular-season title. The Falcons (24-6, 14-2 MAC) have won a divisional crown in each of the last eight seasons, and BG has captured the conference's outright crown in seven of those eight years, including 2012.
VCU earned an at-large bid out of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Rams (17-14, 9-9 CAA), the sixth seed in the CAA Tournament, downed William & Mary in the first round before falling, 65-61, to Drexel in the quarterfinals. VCU senior Courtney Hurt, a first-team all-league selection, surpassed the 2,000-point plateau in the Drexel game, becoming the first player (men's or women's) in school history to do so.
This season marks the fourth time the Falcons have advanced to the Postseason WNIT, and the third trip in the last five years. BGSU has a 2-3 record in the tourney, including a 2-2 mark in home games – all at venerable Anderson Arena – and a 2-2 ledger in the Miller Era.
The Falcons hosted Butler in WNIT action in 1998, losing a 95-90 decision at Anderson in the team's first appearance in the tourney. Four years ago, 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.
The following March, the Falcons were awarded a first-round bye in the then 48-team event, and BG played a pair of games at Anderson. The Falcons downed Syracuse by a 72-69 count in second-round action at “The House That Roars” (March 22, 2009), then fell to visiting Indiana, 75-67, in the third round (March 26, 2009).
BGSU enters the VCU game with a record of 14-1 at the Stroh Center, having tied the school record for home wins in a season. Fourth-year Falcons Maribeth Giese and Jessica Slagle have helped BGSU post a 55-3 mark in home games since their arrival on campus. The 2008-09 team set the school mark for home wins by going 14-1, and the '09-10 team was a perfect 13-0 at Anderson. Last year's edition of the Falcons, like this year's team, was 14-1 in home games.
Thursday's game will mark the first-ever meeting between the Falcons and Rams in women's basketball.
The BGSU-VCU winner will meet either Boston University or Saint Joseph's in the second round of the tournament, with that game to be played sometime from Saturday (March 17) through Monday (March 19). Should the Falcons win the first-round game vs. VCU, BGSU would go on the road to either Boston or Philadelphia for the second round, due to the Stroh Center's hosting the NCAA Championships First and Second Rounds.
The WNIT field features 64 teams with all games hosted by participating schools. The field includes 31 teams that earned an automatic berth, and 33 at-large selections.
Additionally, the WNIT field featured 36 teams with 20 or more wins this season. First-round action tips off on Wednesday (March 14) and concludes on Friday (March 16). Second-round games, as mentioned, will be held from March 17-19, with the third round scheduled for March 21-23, the quarterfinals from March 24-26, and the semifinals from March 28-29. The championship game will be played on Saturday, March 31.
The Pac-12, Colonial and Atlantic 10 led all conferences with five teams represented in this year's field. The MAC, along with the Big East, Big West and Missouri Valley, each added 4. Other conferences represented in the field include: Atlantic Coast (3), Southern (3), Summit (3), America East (2), Big 12 (2), Conference USA (2), Sun Belt (2), West Coast (2), Atlantic Sun (1), Big Sky (1), Big South (1), Horizon (1), Ivy (1), MAAC (1), MEAC (1), Mountain West (1), Northeast (1), Ohio Valley (1), Patriot (1), Southland (1), SWAC (1) and WAC (1).
The Postseason WNIT is owned and produced by Fort Collins, Colo.-based Triple Crown Sports, which also organizes men's and women's college basketball tournaments in Cancun, and the Preseason WNIT. Triple Crown is the leader in grassroots sports and manages over 300 amateur sporting events across the country in volleyball, fastpitch, baseball, and basketball. With 28 years of experience in the event business, Triple Crown is nationally-recognized as a premier tournament organization. For more information on the WNIT, 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 |
| March 22, 2009 | SYRACUSE | W, 72-69 |
| March 26, 2009 | INDIANA | L, 67-75 |
| March 15, 2012 | VCU | 7:00 p.m. |
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