FAIRBORN — The Wright State women’s basketball team will host Central Michigan in the first round of the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, with tip-off set for 7 p.m. Thursday March 16 at the Nutter Center.
The Raiders (24-8), who earned the Horizon League’s automatic berth to the WNIT, will be making their sixth postseason appearance in the last seven years. WSU, who participated in the Women’s Basketball Invitational in 2011 and 2012 and made its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament in 2014 against Kentucky, will be a part of the WNIT for the third consecutive year. Wright State traveled to Toledo in 2015 and was at Michigan last season.
The game will be the third postseason contest hosted by WSU in program history, with the previous two coming during the 2011 Women’s Basketball Invitational against Buffalo and Manhattan.
Central Michigan (23-8) and Wright State have met three previous times, with the Chippewas holding a 2-1 series lead, including a 65-60 decision over the Raiders in the last meeting on Dec. 20, 2011, as part of the Wright State Invitational, presented by Holiday Inn.
The two teams have five common opponents this season in Oakland, Illinois Chicago (UIC), Kent State, Illinois and Miami. Wright State went 6-2 against those opponents (3-0 UIC, 2-0 Oakland, 1-0 Miami, 0-1 Illinois, 0-1 Kent State) while Central Michigan was 5-0 (1-0 Illinois, 1-0 Kent State, 1-0 Miami, 1-0 Oakland, 1-0 UIC).
The winner faces the Michigan-Kent State winner in the second round on a date to be determined between March 18-21.