OU women to host Dayton in WNIT on Thursday

The Golden Grizzlies will open postseason play in the WNIT with a home game against Dayton on Thursday.

After winning a Division I era record 26 games, the Oakland University women’s basketball team (26-6) was rewarded with a berth to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), announced Monday by the tournament selection committee. The Golden Grizzlies will open the WNIT with a 6:30 p.m. game Thursday against Dayton.

“It’s exciting for our program to be rewarded with an opportunity to play in a prestigious postseason tournament,” said head coach Beckie Francis. “The field this year is tremendous, and we’re looking forward to hosting an opponent the caliber of Dayton on our home court.”

The winner of Thursday’s game will travel to Bloomington, Ind., to square off against Indiana in a second-round contest.

The WNIT kicks off postseason action Wednesday with first-round games. All games are held on the campuses of participating schools. While 32 teams will play in the first round, 16 teams received a bye and will begin their tournament with a second-round game.

The Postseason WNIT features 16 first-round games, followed by 16 second-round games, eight third-round games, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal games and the championship. The WNIT championship game will begin at 2 p.m. ET Saturday, April 4, and will be hosted by one of the two final participating schools.

The WNIT awards an automatic berth to each of the nation’s 31 conferences. The spot goes to the team that finishes the highest in the regular-season conference standings that does not advance to the NCAA Tournament. If there is a tie, the WNIT abides by the conference tiebreaker. To be considered for a WNIT automatic or at-large berth, a team must have an overall record of .500 or better.

This year marks the fourth time that Beckie Francis has led the OU women to the postseason.

Visit www.ougrizzlies.com for regular updates on the Golden Grizzlies' postseason.