PIRATES HEADED TO 2014 WNIT
3/17/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
March 17, 2014
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SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall University women's basketball team is headed to the postseason for the first time since 2007 as the Pirates received and at-large berth to the 2014 WNIT it was announced Monday evening by the WNIT selection committee. Seton Hall will host American University in the first round of the tournament on Thursday, March 20, in Walsh Gymnasium. The game time and ticket information will be announced on Tuesday afternoon.
Seton Hall is headed to the postseason for just the sixth time in program history and the Pirates will play in the WNIT for the fourth time overall and the first since 2007.
First year head coach Anthony Bozzella orchestrated one of the best seasons Seton Hall has seen in recent history as the Pirates enter the postseason with an 18-13 overall record having finished seventh in the BIG EAST Conference with an 8-10 mark in conference play after being picked to finish last in the BIG EAST Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Pirates advanced to the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinals for the first time since 2003.
"I am so proud of the young ladies who have worked so hard for the past year," said Bozzella. "It is great to see them rewarded with a postseason berth."
The Pirates will finish the year with a winning record for the first time since 2008-09 and for just the third time since the 2004-05 season. Seton Hall's 18 overall victories and eight BIG EAST wins are the most for the team since posting a 19-12 overall record and going 9-7 in the BIG EAST in 2006-07, the last time the squad was able to experience postseason play.
Seton Hall is one of five BIG EAST teams selected to compete in the WNIT as the Pirates will be joined by Butler, Creighton, Marquette and Villanova in the postseason Tournament. Earlier in the evening BIG EAST Champion DePaul and St. John's were selected to compete in the NCAA Tournament, meaning seven of the conference's 10 teams will still be competing deep into March.
The first round of the WNIT will take place on Wednesday-Friday, March 19-21, on campus sites. More details to come later tonight regarding the Pirates' first round opponent and a date and location for their first round matchup.
American received an at-large berth to the 64-team field after posting 22-9 overall record and a 14-4 mark in the Patriot League to finish in a tie for second in the conference standings. The Eagles advanced to the Patriot semifinals before being eliminated by Army. It is the fifth all-time appearance in the WNIT for American and its first-ever at-large berth.
Senior Alexis Dobbs leads the Eagles as a First-Team All-Patriot League selection, averaging 13.0 points, 4.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. American also boasts a pair of Third-Team All-Patriot League selections in Jen Dumiak and Arron Zimmerman, who average 9.7 ppg and 10.2 ppg respectively.
Seton Hall and America did not share any common opponents during the 2013-14 season and Thursday night's match-up will be just the second-ever meeting between the two programs; Seton Hall won the only other contest, 64-53, on Nov. 25, 2005, on a neutral court.
The Pirates are 2-3 all-time in the WNIT and have made it to the second round in each of their last two appearances in the tournament (2007, 2004).
The winner of Thursday night's first round matchup will advance to face either Princeton or VCU in the second round, to be held on a campus site on March 22-25. At 20-8 overall and 11-3 in the Ivy League, Princeton was an automatic qualifier for the WNIT by finishing second in the Ivy League standings. VCU earned an at-large berth out of the Atlantic 10, finishing the regular season with a 22-9 record and placing seventh in the A-10 at 9-7, falling to Dayton in the conference tournament quarterfinals. Princeton and VCU will play their first round matchup on Thursday night at Princeton.
About the WNIT
The Women's National Invitation Tournament is an annual tournament involving 64 of the nation's top women's Division I basketball teams. All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Every round is single elimination. The WNIT offers teams an opportunity to get more practices in, to experience playoff-atmosphere games, to play in front of passionate fans, and to use their WNIT success as a springboard to the next season. The tournament started in 1998 with 16 teams, expanded to 32 schools in 1999, and then to its current 64-team field in 2010.
