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For the first time in school history, the University of Evansville women’s basketball team will host the first round of the prestigious Preseason WNIT on Friday night, as the Purple Aces will welcome the Marshall University Thundering Herd to Roberts Stadium. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
The Preseason WNIT features 16 of the nation’s top women’s basketball programs competing for women’s basketball top early-season tournament title. Although the word “preseason” appears in the title, the tournament is anything but a preseason warm-up, as Evansville is guaranteed of playing three games against top-flight competition in the next week.
The winner of Friday’s UE-Marshall game will face the winner of No. 17/18 Michigan State and IUPUI on Sunday. The loser, meanwhile, will be placed into a four-team consolation bracket which will meet next weekend for two games. Overall, six teams in this year’s 16-team WNIT field are either receiving votes or nationally-ranked in the two major women’s basketball polls, and nine different teams advanced to postseason play last year.
“This is a tremendous honor for our program to be selected as a host for the Preseason WNIT’s first round,” said UE head coach Tricia Cullop. “When you look at some of the other first round hosts - Maryland, Notre Dame, LSU, Michigan State - you are talking about some of the best women’s basketball programs in the nation. It is an honor for our program to be considered at that same level by the tournament selection committee.
“Hopefully, our fans will really come out and support this game and our team. We know that Marshall is going to provide a very stiff test for us, and it would be great for our fans to help make Roberts Stadium a very tough place for them to play on Friday night and really give us a great home court advantage.”
The UE women’s basketball program will give out free t-shirts to the first 500 fans in attendance at Friday’s game. Gates will open at 5:00 p.m. at Roberts Stadium, with Preseason WNIT first round tickets costing $6 for adults and $5 for both UE students (with valid ID) and kids ages 2-18.
Evansville is coming off of Saturday’s 86-47 exhibition victory over Oakland City in which senior guard Courtney Felke led four UE starters in double-figures with 20 points. The Purple Aces return all five starters and 12 players overall from last year’s 19-12 team this season.
Marshall went 2-0 in exhibition play behind a group of eight returning players and seven talented newcomers from a Conference USA squad which went 15-15 last season. Junior transfer Casey Baker paced the Thundering Herd during exhibition play with an average of 15.0 points and 5.5 steals per game.
Friday night’s game will not only mark the first time UE has hosted a Preseason WNIT game at Roberts Stadium, but it will also mark the first of 12 broadcasts this season on the Aces’ Radio Network. With 91.5 F.M.-WUEV serving as the flagship station, the Aces’ Radio Network stretches from Sullivan, Indiana in the north to Springfield, Tennessee in the south and from Fairfield, Illinois in the west to Jasper, Indiana in the east thanks to the services of 100.5 F.M.-WSJD and 103.9 F.M.-WNTC. Award-winning broadcaster Mike Crowley and former UE women’s basketball player Laura Gaybrick will provide the play-by-play and color commentary for Friday’s WNIT contest.
