Lobos to Open WNIT Hosting Texas State
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — At the end of the 2018 season, the New Mexico Lobos women’s basketball team nearly faced off with Texas State in the Second Round of the WNIT postseason tournament. Eight months later, they will meet after all.
The Lobos and the Bobcats will meet in the opening round of the WNIT preseason tournament at Dreamstyle Arena on Friday night November 9 at 7 p.m. The winner of the game will face off against either Auburn or Nicholls State on Sunday, November 11 at a site to be determined.
The WNIT is a 16-team preseason tournament that features one team from 16 different conferences. The Lobos, who won 25 games last year, are tied for the most wins of any of the teams in the tournament, and with a matchup against 23-10 Texas State, it’s a game that features the most combined wins from the previous season of any of the eight opening round matchups.
The Lobos went 25-10 last year, winning two games in the WNIT and getting to the third round of the tournament. The two teams in UNM and Texas State had several common opponents last year as both teams defeated Texas Tech and Fresno State and lost to TCU. UNM did defeat Rice in the second round of the WNIT after Rice defeated Texas State in the opening round.
Here is the Round 1 schedule for the 2018 Preseason WNIT (all times MT):
Thursday, Nov. 8
Yale at Northern Illinois, 5 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 9
Niagara at Iowa State, 11 a.m.
Stephen F. Austin at Miami, 3 p.m.
Morgan State at Hartford, 5 p.m.
Nicholls State at Auburn, 5 p.m.
Montana State at Marquette, 6 p.m.
Texas State at New Mexico, 7 p.m.
Delaware at Northern Iowa, 7:30 p.m.
The consolation round schedule will be determined after Round 1; in the winner’s bracket, Round 2 is set for Nov. 11, with the semifinals running Nov. 13/15.
This is the first time in the Preseason WNIT for nine programs: Auburn, Iowa State, Miami, Montana State, Morgan State, Niagara, Nicholls State, Texas State and Yale. It’s the second time around for Marquette and Northern Iowa, with Hartford, Northern Illinois and Stephen F. Austin playing for the third time. Delaware is in the mix for the fourth time, and this will mark the fifth WNIT for New Mexico.