Fresno State Athletics
Women's Basketball Hosts UC Santa Barbara Thursday In WNIT
3/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
2006 WNIT Bracket
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March 13, 2006
FRESNO, Calif.- Fresno State (22-7, 14-2 WAC) has been selected to play in the 2006 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), representing the first time in school history the Bulldogs have qualified for the postseason in back-to-back seasons.
Hosting its third postseason game in school history and first-ever at the Save Mart Center, Fresno State will square off against UC Santa Barbara (16-13, 10-4 Big West) on Thursday at 7 p.m. in a preliminary round contest. With their next win, the Bulldogs will establish a single-season record for victories (23).
Fresno State, 13-1 at home this year, has compiled a 30-13 overall record in games played at the Save Mart Center since the arena opened in 2003. The Bulldogs have also posted a 25-4 record against California schools since the start of the 2002-03 campaign. Furthermore, the Bulldogs are 19-1 at the Save Mart Center in games played under the guidance of interim head coach Adrian Wiggins.
UC Santa Barbara will be playing in the postseason for an 11th consecutive year. The Gauchos earned a spot in the WNIT by virtue of winning a share of the Big West regular season championship and then earning a No. 1 seed in last week's league tournament.
The postseason WNIT includes 40 teams from around the nation in a single-elimination format. All games, including the semifinals and championship, will be hosted by participating schools at their home facility. Fresno State is one of 16 teams playing in a preliminary game, where the winner then advances to the first round. If the Bulldogs defeat the Gauchos, they would face UNLV with the location still to be determined.
Fresno State's most recent appearance in the postseason occurred last year, as the Bulldogs were edged 56-53 at Texas A&M Corpus Christi. Fresno State, which is 4-8 all-time in postseason contests and 4-6 in the WNIT, enjoyed its most successful run two years ago in the WNIT posting a 2-1 record in three games with home victories over Santa Clara and Oregon State. The `Dogs also qualified for the WNIT in 1986 and 1990. Those appearances, along with a winless two-game stint at the AIAW Championships in 1974 represent the Bulldog's only postseason competition in school history.
- 1974- AIAW Championships - Manhattan, Kan. (0-2)
Queens College 50, Fresno State 36
Tennessee Tech 53, Fresno State 41
- 1986 WNIT - Amarillo, Texas (0-3)
Mar. 20: Idaho 74, Fresno State 61
Mar. 21: U.S. International 82, Fresno State 76
Mar. 22: Tennessee Tech 79, Fresno State 77
- 1990 WNIT - Amarillo, Texas (2-1)
Mar. 22: UNC Charlotte 70, Fresno State 67
Mar. 23: Fresno State 67, Wyoming 63
Mar. 24: Fresno State 73, Illinois State 72
- 2003 WNIT - campus sites (2-1)
Mar. 21: Fresno State 87, Santa Clara 72- at Fresno, Calif.
Mar. 24: Fresno State 58, Oregon State 57- at Fresno, Calif.
Mar. 26: Baylor 72, Fresno State 65- at Waco, Texas
- 2005 WNIT - campus sites (0-1)
Mar. 18: Texas A&M-Corpus Christi 56, Fresno State 53- at Corpus Christi, Texas
WNIT Ticket Information
- Tickets go on sale through the Save Mart Center Box Office and Ticketmaster beginning, Wednesday, March 15. The Save Mart Center Box Office is open Monday-Friday 9:30am-4:30pm. Tickets can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or by phone at 485-TIXS.
Preliminary through 3rd Round Games
$8 - Reserved
$6 - General Admission Adults
$4 - General Admission Seniors (65+)/Youth (2-18 yrs of age)
Semifinals and Finals Games
$9 - Reserved
$7 - General Admission Adults
$5 - General Admission Seniors (65+)/Youth (2-18 yrs of age)
