notes and records - women's nit and records wwwe page 1 page 1 ... first-round action tips off...

Media Contact: Andy Hansen | (970) 672-0517 | [email protected]

3930 Automation Way - Fort Collins, CO 80525

2016 POSTSEASON WNITNotes and Records

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2016 Postseason WNITThe 64-team tournament is a single-elimination event with all games played at sites of host schools. The WNIT is committed to offering deserved opportunities to women’s basketball programs, and the 2016 Postseason WNIT features a full 64-team bracket. The WNIT offers teams an opportunity for more practice time, to experience playoff-atmosphere games, to play in front of passionate fans, and to use their WNIT success as a springboard to the next season.

First-round action tips off Wednesday, March 16 and concludes Friday, March 18. Second-round games will run March 19-22, Round three goes March 23-25, quarterfinals are March 26-28, and semifinals will be played March 30-31. The championship game will be played Saturday, April 2 and will be televised live and in HD on CBS Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET. All games are hosted by participating schools.

Tournament Notes-Four teams in the 2016 WNIT are previous champions of the event: Oregon (2002), Creighton (2004), Drexel (2013) and Rutgers (2014). -One of the potential benefits of playing in the WNIT is giving teams a springboard into the following year, and that was cer-tainly the case after the 2015 event. UCLA, a team with a very young roster, beat West Virginia in the 2015 WNIT final, 62-60. This season, the Bruins rolled to a 24-8 record and secured a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament. West Virginia had a terrific season as well, going 24-6 overall and claiming a No. 6 seed in the tournament. -A record 36 teams in this year’s field recorded 20 or more regular-season wins.

-This year’s tournament features six teams from the Big Ten, five from the Mid-American Conference and four each from the ACC, C-USA and West Coast Conference. Four conferences each placed three teams – American, A-10, Big East and Colo-nial. Other conferences represented include Big West (2), Horizon (2), Missouri Valley (2), Pac-12 (2), Summit (2), Sun Belt (2), America East (1), Atlantic Sun (1), Big 12 (1), Big Sky (1), Big South (1), Ivy (1), MAAC (1), MEAC (1), Mountain West (1), Northeast (1), OVC (1), Patriot (1), SEC (1), Southern (1), Southland (1), SWAC (1) and WAC (1).

-A record 18 teams in the WNIT either won or tied their regular-season conference title: Abilene Christian (Southland); Ar-kansas State (Sun Belt); Bethune-Cookman (MEAC); Bucknell (Patriot); FGCU (Atlantic Sun); Maine (America East); Mercer (Southern); Montana State (Big Sky); Northern Iowa (Missouri Valley); Ohio (Mid-American); Quinnipiac (MAAC); Sacred Heart (Northeast); Saint Louis (Atlantic 10); South Dakota (Summit); Southern (SWAC); UC Riverside (Big West); UT Martin (Ohio Valley) and UTEP (C-USA).

-The last time Rutgers and UTEP were in the tournament (2014), the championship game was played in front of a sold-out are-na at the 12,222-seat Don Haskins Center in El Paso, Texas. Rutgers scored a layup with 2 seconds left on the clock to edge UTEP 56-54 for the national championship. The Don Haskins Center sold out in a venue-record two hours following UTEP’s 66-63 semifinal win over South Dakota State. “The Don” also sold out for UTEP’s semifinal game against South Dakota State.

-There will be 23 first-round games on Thursday, March 17, making it the third-busiest first-round night in event history. The 2013 WNIT had 29 games on one night and there were 26 games on one night in 2012.

-The Postseason WNIT is the longest current running postseason event for women’s college basketball, outside of the NCAA Tournament. In existence since 1998, the WNIT has afforded hundreds of opportunities for schools in every conference to play in the postseason. 2016 marks the 19th year of the Postseason WNIT.

-For the 8th consecutive year the Postseason WNIT championship game will be televised live on CBS Sports Network. Thad Anderson (play-by-play) and Chiney Ogwumike (analyst) will call the action. Ogwumike plays for the Connecticut Sun and was the 2014 WNBA Rookie of the Year. She also had a stellar career at Stanford where she led the Cardinal to three NCAA Final Four appearances. Ogwumike still holds the Stanford and Pac-12 record for most rebounds.

Media Contact: Andy Hansen | (970) 672-0517 | [email protected] Automation Way - Fort Collins, CO 80525


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FormatThe Postseason WNIT features 32 first-round games, followed by 16 second-round games, eight third-round games, four quarter-final games, two semifinal games, and the championship. The championship game is televised live nationally. The event offers 32 automatic berths, one to each established conference, and 32 at-large berths. The WNIT field and bracket is announced late on the evening of the NCAA Tournament selections.

Tournament officials award an Automatic Qualifying berth to each of the nation’s 32 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. A team earns the AQ berth regardless of its overall record. A total of 32 teams are then given an At-Large berth; a team must have an overall record of .500 or better to be considered.

Looking BackFreshman Jordin Canada scored a career-high 31 points to lead the UCLA women’s basketball team past West Virginia, 62-60, to win the 2015 Women’s NIT Championship played at the Charleston Civic Center. Canada connected on 9 of 19 shots from the field and made 13 of 15 free throws, helping UCLA (19-18) win its sixth consecutive game. She was the Bruins’ only player to score in double figures, shattering her previous career high of 19 points, in addition to tallying four steals and two assists.

Triple Crown SportsThe Postseason WNIT is owned and produced by Triple Crown Sports, based in Fort Collins, Colo. TCS also organizes men’s and women’s college basketball tournaments in Cancun, and the Preseason WNIT. TCS is the leader in youth and collegiate sports and manages more than 100 amateur sporting events across the country in volleyball, fastpitch softball, baseball and basketball. With 33 years of experience in the event business, TCS is nationally-recognized as a premier tournament organization.

The Bracketing ProcessThe Postseason WNIT continues to draw interest from all corners of the college basketball scene – 64 teams getting the chance to continue their season creates a lot of excitement within rosters, coaching staffs and groups of fans. Here are some details to help explain how the event is bracketed:

Q: Why aren’t teams seeded?

A: The WNIT field is selected after the NCAA tournament first confirms the 64 teams playing in that event. The WNIT uses a broad range of rankings systems and also considers factors like how a team is currently playing and injury concerns. In the end, 32 spots go to automatic qualifiers (teams with the highest regular-season finish in their conference that are not playing in the NCAA Tournament), with the other berths going, as determined by the WNIT selection committee, to the strongest remaining teams.

The 64 teams in the WNIT are then placed in tiers, and those tiers are used to construct the brackets. In general, first-round games will have middle-tier teams facing each other, while top- tier teams face bottom-tier teams. Adjustments are commonly made, however, to make sure there are no rematches from the regular season, and that teams from the same conference do not play each other in Round 1, and ideally, Round 2. The big-picture goal is to evenly distribute team strength throughout the bracket.

Other factors affecting the brackets are school days being missed, facility access, locations of teams, travel and lodging constraints, availability to host, and other issues. With all the variables teams must navigate, the WNIT has found no real point in generating a seeding for each team, because it often does not hold true with all of the factors that can affect the bracket.

Q: Why is my team not playing a home game in Round 1? We have a better record!

A: The WNIT is almost 100 percent of the time a “breaking news” development for college programs, which means access to the school’s arena may be limited. There could be other events already booked; the men’s NCAA Tournament may also complicate ac-cess. WNIT officials also have to consider the fan base of each potential host school, and the ability for visiting teams to get to the site in timely fashion. Keep in mind that some schools simply can’t or won’t devote resources needed to properly host a postseason contest. One of the WNIT’s goals is to help teams build their programs with their community, and WNIT games can be a great vehicle for getting a new fan base engaged in women’s college basketball.




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AQ TeamsAbilene Christian (26-3), Southland

Arkansas State (26-5), Sun BeltBethune-Cookman (18-12), MEAC

Bucknell (24-7), PatriotDrexel (19-13), Colonial

Florida Gulf Coast (28-5), Atlantic SunFresno State (21-11), MWC

Harvard (14-13), IvyLiberty (20-12), Big SouthMaine (26-8, America EastMercer (24-8), Southern

Milwaukee (19-12), HorizonMinnesota (19-11), Big Ten

Montana State (21-9), Big SkyNorthern Iowa (22-10), Missouri Valley

Ohio (24-6), Mid-AmericanOregon (20-10), Pac-12Quinnipiac (24-8), MAAC

Sacred Heart (20-12), NortheastSaint Louis (24-7), Atlantic 10

Saint Mary’s (24-7), WCCSouth Dakota (26-6), Summit

Southern (19-11), SWACTCU (16-14), Big 12

Temple (20-11), AmericanUC Riverside (23-8), Big WestUT Martin (21-9), Ohio Valley

UTEP (26-4), C-USAUT Rio Grande Valley (19-13), WAC

Villanova (19-11), Big East

At-Large TeamsAkron (19-13), Mid-American

Alabama (15-15), SECBall State (21-9), Mid-American

Central Michigan (22-10), Mid-AmericanCharlotte (19-11), C-USA

Creighton (17-17), Big EastDayton (14-14), Atlantic 10

Drake (22-9), Missouri ValleyEastern Michigan (21-11), Mid-American

Elon (18-12), ColonialGeorgetown (16-13), Big East

Georgia Tech (19-12), ACCGonzaga (18-13), West Coast

Hofstra (22-8), ColonialIowa (19-13), Big Ten

IUPUI (20-10), SummitLittle Rock (20-12), Sun Belt

Long Beach State (24-8), Big WestMarshall (21-11), C-USA

Memphis (18-12), AmericanMichigan (17-13), Big TenNebraska (18-12), Big Ten

Northwestern (18-16), Big TenRutgers (18-14), Big Ten

San Diego (23-7), West CoastSanta Clara (23-8), West Coast

Tulane (21-11), AmericanUtah (16-14), Pac-12

VCU (23-9), Atlantic 10Virginia (16-15), ACC

Virginia Tech (17-13), ACCWake Forest (16-15), ACC

Western Kentucky (24-6), C-USAWright State (24-10), Horizon

Tournament Field




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CHARLESTON -- Freshman Jordin Canada scored a career-high 31 points to lead the UCLA women’s basketball team past West Virginia, 62-60, to win the 2015 Women’s NIT Championship on Saturday at the Charleston Civic Center.Canada connected on 9 of 19 shots from the field and made 13 of 15 free throws, helping UCLA (19-18) win its sixth consecutive game. She was the Bruins’ only player to score in double figures, shattering her previous career high of 19 points, in addition to tallying four steals and two assists.

West Virginia’s Averee Fields led the Mountaineers with 17 points. WVU also re-ceived 14 points from Bria Holmes and 10 points from Linda Stepney.

The Bruins scored the first four points of the game and led 12-9 on a pair of free throws by Kelli Hayes at the 12:32 mark. But West Virginia would go on a 15-6 run to build their largest lead of six points (24-18) with 5:51 left in the first half. Jordin Canada would tie the game on a layup at 26-26 (1:18). Canada would get her third steal of the first half and race down the floor, beating the buzzer to give UCLA a 30-28 lead at the break. Her 14 points in the first half led all scorers.

UCLA took the lead for good with fewer than four minutes to play in the game. West Virginia’s Crystal Leary made one of two free throws with 4:31 to play, pushing the Mountaineers ahead, 53-50.

Kari Korver, who finished with five points and six rebounds, nailed a 3-pointer at the 4:19 mark to tie the contest 53-53.

After a missed jump shot by West Virginia, Canada made a layup with 3:45 remain-ing to put UCLA ahead by a 55-53 margin. An ensuing steal and layup by Kelli Hayes gave UCLA a 57-53 advantage with 3:19 remaining.

West Virginia trimmed its deficit to two points (57-55) with less than three minutes to play. UCLA added to its lead with 49 seconds to play, as Monique Billings made one of two free throws, putting the Bruins ahead, 58-55.

A layup by Stepney cut UCLA’s lead to 58-57 with 44 seconds to play, before Can-ada answered with a layup at the 25-second mark. Canada helped UCLA ice the victory with a steal and two ensuing free throws with 19 seconds remaining to put UCLA ahead, 61-57. The Bruins held on in the final moments for the 62-60 win.

Prior to Saturday’s victory over West Virginia, UCLA had not won a postseason tournament since upsetting Stanford to win the 2006 Pac-10 Tournament. This marked the Bruins’ first-ever WNIT Tournament appearance and was the latest UCLA had ever played a basketball game.

STATS COMPARISON UCLA WVUPoints 62 60FG Made-Attempted 20-52 19-58FG Percentage 38.5% 32.8%3PT Made-Attempted 1-6 5-163PT Percentage 16.7% 31.3% FT Made-Attempted 21-28 17-20FT Percentage 75.0% 85.0% Rebounds 40 38 Turnovers 13 13

1ST 2ND F RecordsUCLA 30 32 62 19-18 West Virginia 28 32 60 23-15 Site: Charleston Civic Ctr., Charleston, W. Va.

SCORE BY PERIODS

UCLA CAPTURES POSTSEASON WNIT CHAMPIONSHIP

All-Tournament TeamNicole Elmblad (Michigan)Tyonna Williams (Temple)

Averee Fields (West Virginia)Nirra Fields (UCLA)

Bria Holmes (West Virginia)MVP-Jordin Canada (UCLA)


Most Points - Game 45 Tamika Whitmore, Memphis vs. Arkansas St., 3/17/99 Most Points - Tournament 147 Danielle McCray, Kansas (2009) Most Field Goals Made - Game 18 Aisha Hollans, Southern California vs. Washington, 3/17/02 Most Field Goals Made - Tournament 54 Toni Young, Oklahoma State (2012) Best Shooting Percentage - Game (min. 12 attempts) .917 Kelsey Kahle, Portland State (11 for 12) vs. Portland, 3/19/09 Most 3-Pointers - Game9 Morgan Eye, Missouri vs. Kansas State, 3/22/15 9 Jordan Jones, South Carolina vs. NCA&T, 3/21/08 Most 3-Pointers - Tournament 22 Jenny Lingor, Missouri State (2005) Best 3-point Shooting Percentage - Game (min. 6 attempts) 100.0 Valerie Nainima, Long Island (6 for 6), vs. Iona, 3/15/07 Most Free Throws - Game 17 Hanna Zavecz (17 of 24), Wyoming vs. Kansas State, 3/28/07 Most Free Throws - Tournament 47 Hanna Zavecz, Wyoming (2007) Best Free Throw Shooting Percentage - Game (min. 13 attempts) 100.0 Crystal Kelly, Western Kentucky (14 for 14), vs. Minnesota, 3/19/07 100.0 Krysten Boogaard, Kansas (13 for 13), vs. Prairie View A&M, 3/17/10 100.0 Kristi Cirone, Illinois State (13 for 13), vs. Marquette, 3/26/09 100.0 Shantia Grace, South Florida (13 for 13), vs. St. Bonaventure, 3/29/09 Most Rebounds - Game 26 Katherine Plouffe, Marquette vs. Indiana State, 3/20/14 Most Rebounds - Tournament 68 Sophia Young, Baylor (2003) Most Offensive Rebounds - Game 12 Shauntal Nobles, Texas Tech vs. San Diego, 3/22/12 Most Offensive Rebounds - Tournament 20 Janese Banks, Wisconsin (2007) Most Defensive Rebounds - Game 20 Katherine Plouffe, Marquette vs. Indiana State, 3/20/14 Most Defensive Rebounds - Tournament 49 Liz Donohoe, Oklahoma State (2012) Most Assists - Game 13 Shanon Smith, Michigan vs. Stony Brook 3/21/2014 13 Jamierra Faulkner, Southern Miss vs. Lamar, 3/20/1413 Ariana Elegado, Cal Poly vs. Washington, 3/14/12 13 Dee Dee Pate, Wisconsin vs. Memphis, 3/20/99 13 Kelsey Corbin, Ball State vs. Kentucky, 3/19/07

Most Assists - Tournament 43 Yolanda Paige, West Virginia (2005) Most Blocks - Game 10 Hillary Carlson, Wyoming, vs. Nevada, 3/19/10 Most Blocks - Tournament 24 Rachel Hollivay, Rutgers (2014) Most Steals - Game 10 Shala Crook, Ball State vs. Valparaiso, 3/16/02 Most Steals - Tournament 21 Kayla Thornton, UTEP (2014)

INDIVIDUAL RECORDS

TEAM RECORDS Most Points - Game 107 Wisconsin vs. Siena College, 03/14/99 Most Points - Tournament 452 Wyoming (2007) Most Field Goals - Game 45 Illinois vs. Wisconsin Green Bay, 3/15/01 Most Field Goals - Tournament 179 Florida (2000) Best Shooting Percentage - Game .618 South Carolina vs. Hartford, 3/18/07 Most 3-Pointers - Game 17 Missouri State vs. Iowa, 3/28/05 Most 3-Pointers - Tournament 58 Missouri State (2005) Best 3-point Shooting Percentage - Game (min. 10 attempts) .750 Wyoming (9 for 12), vs. Nevada, 3/15/07 Most Free Throws - Game 37 Wyoming (37 of 52), vs. Kansas State, 3/28/07 Most Free Throws - Tournament 122 Wyoming (2007) Best Free Throw Shooting Percentage - Game (min. 15 attempts) 100.0 Wisconsin (20 for 20), vs. Western Kentucky, 3/28/07 Most Rebounds - Game 62 Fresno State vs. Santa Clara, 3/21/03 62 Missouri State vs. Oral Roberts, 3/19/10 Most Rebounds - Tournament 273 California-Berkeley (2010) Most Offensive Rebounds - Game 32 South Florida vs. Florida, 3/18/10 Most Offensive Rebounds - Tournament 85 Wisconsin (2007) Most Defensive Rebounds - Game 44 Illinois State vs. Rice, 3/15/07 Most Defensive Rebounds - Tournament 184 Oklahoma State (2012) Most Assists - Game 28 Kansas State vs. Idaho State, 3/17/06

Most Assists - Tournament 102 Oklahoma State (2012) Most Turnovers - Game 30 Eastern Illinois vs. Marquette, 3/18/10 30 Oral Roberts vs. Missouri State, 3/19/10 Most Turnovers - Tournament 106 James Madison University (2012) Most Steals - Game 23 Northern Colorado vs. Colorado, 3/14/12 Most Steals - Tournament 60 Houston (2002) Most Blocks - Game 16 South Florida vs. Coppin State, 3/19/07 Most Blocks - Tournament 42 Rutgers (2014)

RECORD BOOK




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PAST CHAMPIONS2015 - UCLA

2014 - Rutgers 2013 – Drexel

2012 – Oklahoma State2011 – Toledo

2010 – California2009 – South Florida

2008 – Marquette2007 – Wyoming

2006 – Kansas State2005 – Missouri State

2004 – Creighton2003 – Auburn2002 – Oregon

2001 – Ohio State2000 – Wisconsin1999 – Arkansas

1998 – Penn State

ATTENDANCE RECORDSThe 1998 inaugural year attendance for a 16-team field was 50,479. Attendance for the next seven years when the event expanded to 32 teams averaged 83,207 per year. The WNIT attendance record of 18,018 fans in a championship game was set at the 2001 Postseason WNIT finale at New Mexico. The championship game for the 18 years of the postseason event averages nearly 10,000 spectators. Here is a look at the championship game numbers:1998 Penn State at Baylor 10,0571999 Wisconsin at Arkansas 14,1632000 Florida at Wisconsin 13,0062001 Ohio State at New Mexico 18,0182002 Houston at Oregon 6,8352003 Auburn at Baylor 7,4142004 UNLV at Creighton 4,1802005 West Virginia at SMS 8,8712006 Marquette at Kansas State 13,3402007 Wisconsin at Wyoming 15,4622008 Marquette at Michigan State 7,8182009 South Florida at Kansas 16,1132010 Miami at California 2,5232011 Southern Cal at Toledo 7,3012012 JMU at Oklahoma State 6,157 2013 Utah at Drexel 1,9222014 Rutgers at UTEP 12,2222015 UCLA at West Virginia 8,403

TOP-10 CROWDS1. New Mexico - 18,018 Ohio State at New Mexico, Championship Game 2001 2. Kansas - 16,113 South Florida at Kansas, Championship Game 2009 3. Wyoming - 15,462 Wisconsin at Wyoming, Championship Game 2007 4. Arkansas - 14,163 Wisconsin at Arkansas, Championship Game 1999 5. Kansas State - 13,340 Marquette at Kansas State, Championship Game 2006 6. Wisconsin - 13,006 Florida at Wisconsin, Championship Game 2000 7. Wyoming - 12,225 Kansas State at Wyoming, Semifinal Game 2007

8. UTEP - 12,222 Rutgers at UTEP, Championship Game 2014

9. UTEP - 12,222 South Dakota State at UTEP, Semifinal Game 2014 10. Wyoming - 11,253 South Dakota State at Wyoming, Quarterfinal Game 2007

WNIT HISTORYThe Postseason WNIT began in 1998 with 16 teams play-ing for a postseason crown. The event has undergone four expansions, but its mission has remained the same: To give deserving teams a quality opportunity to play exciting games for a postseason title.

Following the inaugural year, the field doubled to 32 teams and remained that way until 2006 when a renewed commit-ment was made to schools. The WNIT expanded to a 40-team field to give spots to teams that won their regular-season con-ference title but did not win their conference tournament and therefore were excluded from the NCAA Tournament.

The WNIT furthered that commitment to conferences in 2007, when it expanded to 48 teams and awarded an automatic berth to each conference. The number of at-large berths re-mained at 17 until 2010, when the WNIT felt that the level of women’s basketball warranted an expansion to the 64-team field.

The Postseason WNIT is the second longest running postsea-son tournament in women’s college basketball history behind the NCAA Tournament. Since its inception in 1998, the WNIT has afforded hundreds of opportunities for schools in every conference to play in the postseason.

WNIT games showcase the best of women’s basketball, both with fan excitement (the 2009 championship was played in front of a Big 12 record 16,113 fans at Kansas) and level of play (teams that do well in the Post WNIT often make a huge jump the following year to performing well in the NCAA Tour-nament).



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YEAR-BY-YEAR OVERVIEW

1998 – The Postseason WNIT began in March of 1998 and involved 16 teams from around the country. Penn State defeated Baylor in Waco, Texas in front of 10,057 extremely vocal hometown fans. Atten-dance for the two semifinal games and championship game averaged 7,970 spectators per game.

1999 – The event was expanded to involve 32 schools. Arkansas and Wisconsin drew a WNIT record 14,161 women’s basketball fans for the championship matchup at Arkansas.

2000 – The tournament saw Wisconsin reach the championship game for the second year in a row. This time, however, Wisconsin was victorious against Florida in front of a crowd of 13,006 fans in Madison, Wis.

2001 – Ohio State overcame a 12-point deficit against New Mexico to beat the host Lobos at The Pit in front of 18,018 fans. This champion-ship game sold out eight hours after tickets went on sale to the general public. The sell-out was the third fastest in the history of the facility.

2002 – Oregon scored with 2.4 seconds remaining to give Oregon the Women's NIT championship with a 54-52 victory over Houston before a season-high 6,835 fans at McArthur Court at Eugene, Ore.

2003 – Auburn overcame a six-point Baylor lead in the final two and a half minutes to win the championship game. Auburn edged Baylor 64-63 in front of a deafening crowd of 7,314 at Waco, Texas. The winning basket came with 3.2 seconds left in the contest.

2004 – Creighton dominated UNLV from start to finish for a 73-52 vic-tory in front of 4,180 fans in Omaha. This was the second largest home crowd in school history for Creighton.

2005 – Southwest Missouri State (now Missouri State) defeated West Virginia 78-70 in the championship. A sellout crowd of 8,870 vocal fans witnessed the final game for the team before the school changed its name to Missouri State. Jenny Lingor set the WNIT scoring record with 116 points in five games and the team made a WNIT record 58 3-point-ers during their tournament run.

2006 – Kansas State overcame a one-point halftime deficit and Mar-quette’s hot 3-point shooting to win the WNIT championship. The game was played in front of a sellout crowd of 13,340 – at the time the third largest in WNIT history.

2007 – In the 10th year of the Postseason WNIT, Wyoming rolled with six straight wins, including a 72-56 victory over Wisconsin in the cham-pionship. The entire state of Wyoming got behind the Cowgirls, as they sold out the final game in less than 10 hours, and drew 52,541 fans for the entire event, including 15,462 for the championship.

2008 - Marquette beat the odds and became the first team to win three road games in the Postseason WNIT. The Golden Eagles topped Michigan State 81-66 in front of 7,818 fans at the Breslin Center to capture their first postseason championship.

2009 - South Florida relied on veteran leadership and took a cue from the 2008 Marquette team to win three straight road games, including a championship at Kansas. South Florida edged the Jayhawks 75-71 in front of a Kansas and Big 12 conference record-setting crowd of 16,113 fans at venerable Allen Fieldhouse.

2010 – California won six straight games, including two on the road, to capture its first national title. The Golden Bears defeated Miami 73-61 in a championship game that showcased some of the nation’s best up-and-coming players.

2011 – Toledo steamrolled its way to a championship that energized the entire community. The Rockets hosted all six games, defeating Delaware, Auburn, Alabama, Syracuse, Charlotte, and USC. Toledo sold out its semifinal and championship games at more than 7,000 fans each, which set school and conference attendance records.

2012 – Oklahoma State wrapped up an emotional season that started with the Cowgirls losing head coach Kurt Budke and assistant coach Miranda Serna in a plane crash. The season ended with an amazing storybook finish as the Cowgirls won game after game, until they de-feated JMU 75-68 to win the Postseason WNIT title.

2013 – Drexel (28-10) set a school record for victories and captured the program’s first postseason title by defeating Utah 46-43 after taking the lead with 21 seconds left in the championship game. The Dragons’ route to the title included wins over Auburn, Bowling Green, and Florida.

2014 – Rutgers’ Tyler Scaife drove the length of the court and hit a la-yup with 2 seconds on the clock to give the Scarlet Knights a 56-54 vic-tory and their first Postseason WNIT championship. Rutgers defeated UTEP in front of a capacity crowd of 12,222 at the Don Haskins Center, which sold out in less than two hours.

2015 – Freshman Jordin Canada scored a career-high 31 points to lead the UCLA women’s basketball team past West Virginia, 62-60, to win the 2015 Women’s NIT Championship on Saturday at the Charles-ton Civic Center.Canada connected on 9 of 19 shots from the field and made 13 of 15 free throws, helping UCLA (19-18) win its sixth consecu-tive game. She was the Bruins’ only player to score in double figures, shattering her previous career high of 19 points, in addition to tallying four steals and two assists.

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