Women’s basketball receives first-ever Division I postseason bid

((Contributed by Wright State Sports Information))

Senior guard LaShawna Thomas and the Wright State Raiders women's basketball team will play in their first ever Division I postseason tournament Wednesday night at the Wright State Nutter Center.

The Wright State women’s basketball team will play in its first-ever Division I postseason game Wednesday at 7:00 as the Raiders host Buffalo in the opening round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational (WBI).  The game will also be the first collegiate postseason event held at Wright State’s Nutter Center.

The Wright State/Buffalo winner will face the winner of Sacred Heart and Manhattan in the quarterfinals with the date and site to be determined.

It is the first postseason appearance for WSU since splitting a pair of games during the 1987 NCAA Division II Great Lakes Regional Tournament, the program’s final season in Division II.  The Raiders defeated Bellarmine in the opening round 80-67 on March 7 of that year before falling to Northern Kentucky 74-63 in the second round of March 10, with both games taking place at the Physical Education Building.

Wright State enters the WBI with a 19-12 overall record and finished fourth in the Horizon League with an 11-7 mark.  The 19 wins tie the 2004-05 squad for the most wins for the program since moving up to Division I and only trail the 24-6 mark in 1986-87 for the most ever in school history.  The 11 Horizon League wins also tied a program record with 2004-05, when the Raiders were 11-5.

While the WBI will be a new experience for WSU, it will be the second straight appearance in the tournament for first-year head coach Mike Bradbury as he led Morehead State to the WBI last season.

“Following up the year that we’ve had, being able to play in the postseason is something we’re definitely looking forward to,” said Bradbury.  “It is an honor to be playing at this time of year and we’re really embracing the opportunity to play in the Women’s Basketball Invitational.”

“It’s a great opportunity for everyone in our program, but particularly for our seniors,” added Bradbury.  “Our seniors have made a huge effort to improve our program and what they have accomplished this year is unbelievable.  Without that effort, none of this would have been possible and I’m glad they get the opportunity to experience postseason play.”

Along with the record-tying 19 overall wins and 11 in league play, Wright State has also set several three-point records this season.  The Raiders have made 10 or more threes in a game six times this year and set a single-season record with 213 triples in 31 games, bettering the previous mark of 161 in 32 games during the 2007-08 campaign.  WSU also set a single-game record for threes with 13 against Valparaiso on January 8, with junior guard Maria Bennett setting the single-game individual record in that game with eight.

WSU is led by senior guard LaShawna Thomas, a First Team All-Horizon League selection who is currently 20^th in Division I in assists per game at 5.6 and 25^th in scoring at 18.6 points per game.  Thomas has reached double figures in scoring in all but two games this season and has scored 20 or more points 13 times, including a career-high 35 against Youngstown State on February 19.  Thomas appears in the Raider career Top 10 list in games and minutes played, points, field goals made and attempted, three-pointers made and attempted and assists.

Junior forward Molly Fox was a Second Team All-League selection as she currently is 17^th nationally in field goal percentage at .553 and 55^th in rebounds per game at 9.1 while senior forward Shaunda Sandifer, in her first season with the program after a four-year career with the WSU volleyball team, was selected to the League’s All-Newcomer Team after averaging 6.2 points and 8.9 rebounds per game.

Buffalo enters the WBI with an overall record of 16-15, its best mark since going 18-11 in 2002-03, and the Bulls finished 8-8 in the Mid-American Conference’s East Division, good for third place behind Bowling Green and Kent State.  Buffalo features the MAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in senior forward Kourtney Brown, who currently has 1974 points and 1119 rebounds for her career, including a MAC-record 367 rebounds this season.  Brown ranks fifth nationally in rebounds (11.8) and blocked shots (3.3) per game, is seventh in field goal percentage (.588) and is ninth in scoring (22.2).

Tickets, which are on sale at the Nutter Center box office, are $7 individually, with $6 for group tickets and $5 for children ages 3-17.  Wright State students along with faculty and staff are free with a valid ID.  For more information, call (937) 775-4789.