Kats host Rice in WBI Wednesday
3/12/2012 5:27:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Sixteen NCAA Division I teams from across the country make up the field of the WBI, an event presented by Sport Tours International, Inc.
The action begins with first round games on campus sites Wednesday and Thursday, March 16-17. The WBI ends 11 days later with the finals on Sunday, March 25.
Rice posted a 16-15 season record and tied for third place in the 2012 Conference USA record with a 9-7 league mark.
Appalachian State and Alabama-Birmingham won the first two WBI tournaments in 2010 and 2011, respectively.
The game represents the first NCAA Division I post-season competition for the Bearkat women's basketball team in the 47-year history of the program.
The contest also marks the first time for Sam Houston State to host an NCAA basketball post-season event. The Bearkat men's team made NCAA tournament appearances at the Division I level in 2003 and 2010 and the Division II level in 1986. However, all three of those contests were on the road.
"We are excited about playing in the WBI," Sam Houston head coach Brenda Nichols said. "It benefits the program any time you get an opportunity to extend your season and play in a postseason tournament. It will be a good learning experience for the team and it will help us to continue to develop the program in the future."
For the second season in a row, Sam Houston State totaled 17 victories. The 34-25 record during the past two years represents the best two-year victory total by the Bearkat women's basketball team since the program moved up to the NCAA Division I level.
Sam Houston has won back-to-back Southland Conference West Division titles. The Bearkats were the No. 3 seed at the 2012 Southland Tournament held at the Merrell Center in Katy. The number three seeding stands as the Kats' highest league seed in their 13 tournament appearances.
Junior forwards Britni Martin and Sequeena Thomas both earned All-Southland Conference honors for the second year in a row. Martin has been a first-team selection and Thomas a second-team honoree both years.
Martin ranks as the league's third-leading scorer and stands 52nd in the nation with a 17.2 scoring average. She led the Southland Conference in three point baskets per game (2.9) this year.
Thomas is the Southland's top rebounder and ranks No. 2 nationally in NCAA Division I women's basketball with 12.5 rebounds per game. Thomas also stands ninth in the league in scoring with 14.4 points per game. Thomas has totaled both double figure points and rebounds in 18 games this season.
The complete first round schedule for the WBI is as follows:
Wednesday, March 14
Rice at Sam Houston State, 6:30 p.m.
Tennessee Tech at Bradley, 7 p.m.
Thursday, March 15
North Dakota at Seattle, 7 p.m.
Wright State at SIU-Edwardsville, 7 p.m.
Northern Iowa at Stephen F. Austin, 7 p.m.
Manhattan at Robert Morris, 7 p.m.
New Hampshire at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Friday, March 16
Charleston Southern at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Tickets priced at $10 each are on sale online at www.gobearkats.com/tickets or at the Sam Houston State athletic ticket office located in the Ron Mafrige Field House at Bowers Stadium.
