UTEP to host Abilene Christian in Women’s NIT opener
EL PASO, TEXAS- Regular-season Conference USA champion UTEP (26-4) will play host to regular-season Southland Conference champion Abilene Christian (26-3) in a first-round WNIT game at the Don Haskins Center at 7:05 p.m. Thursday .
The victor will advance to play Southern orArkansas Stateon adate and location to be determined.
Tickets are $6 (general admission) and $4 (UTEP students), and will be on sale at 9 a.m. MT Tuesday at the University Ticket Center. Fans may also visit TicketMaster.com or call (915) 747-5234 to purchase tickets.
“I’m thankful to be able to coach my team again,” UTEP head coach Keitha Adams said. “It will be a great game. Let’s sell out the Don Haskins Center,12,222 fans, and make this the hottest ticket in town.”
UTEP is making its second appearance in the WNIT in program history (5-1 2014, runner-up) and fourth overall foray into postseason basketball (NCAA second round, 2008 and NCAA first round, 2012). The Miners are 6-3 all time in postseason tournament action, including the aforementioned 5-1 in the WNIT.
The Orange and Blue are 16-0 on the year in El Paso, marking the longest home winning streak in school history. They boast a +15.7 scoring margin (76.2-60.5) in those contests. ACU is 10-3 on the road this year, including an 8-1 mark within SLC action.
In its 19th year, the Postseason WNIT is the second-longest current running postseason event for women’s college basketball (behind NCAA Tournament), and features a 64-team field (32 automatic, 32 at large).
All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. It is the only men’s or women’s postseason tournament – other than the NCAA – to offer an automatic berth to each of the 32 established conferences. The event began in 1998 (16 teams) and expanded in 1999 (32), 2006 (40 ), 2007 (48) and 2010 (64).
Regular-season champions that do not make the NCAA have earned automatic bids since 2006. All 32 conferences have secured automatic bids since 2007.
