NKU, YSU Compete in WBI

@NKUNorseWBB to host USC Upstate in WBI first round
For the fifth-consecutive season, the Northern Kentucky University women's basketball team will continue play beyond its conference tournament as the Norse have been selected to be a part of the field of 16 teams in the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI).

NKU will host South Carolina Upstate in the tournament's opening round on Thursday, March 17 at BB&T Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m., with the action carried live on ESPN3.

"We had a motto at the beginning of the season, and that was to 'Elevate,' and certainly our player have done a tremendous job of that this season, and they're being rewarded with an opportunity to continue playing," said head coach Dawn Plitzuweit. "It really is exciting to be a part of March Madness."

Tickets for the game are $5 for adults, $4 for youth, available at the Alice Sparks Ticket Office at BB&T Arena. Fans can also purchase tickets online at Ticketmaster.com. Season ticket holders can claim their regular-season seats by visiting their My Norse Tickets Account, longing on and paying for their tickets.

NKU students receive free admission with their All-Card, and all Norse Kids Club and Coach P's Platoon will also be admitted free.

This is the fourth time NKU has qualified for the WBI, having competed in the tournament in each of the last three seasons. Last year, NKU hosted a first-round contest in the WBI, falling to Marshall, 81-79. In 2014, the Norse hosted their first postseason game in the Division I era, defeating McNeese State, 84-72, in the first round of the WBI.

YSU to Host Stony Brook on Wednesday in Women’s Basketball Invitational
The Youngstown State women's basketball team has earned the right to play in a postseason tournament for the third time in the last four years. The Penguins will host Stony Brook on Wednesday at 7:05 p.m. at Beeghly Center in the opening round of the Women's Basketball Invitational. The game is presented by Medical Mutual of Ohio, the official healthcare provider of Youngstown State University.

YSU is playing in the WBI, a 16-team tournament played on campus sites, for the first time. It comes after appearances in the Women's NIT in 2013 and 2015, making this the first time in program history that the Penguins will play in the postseason three times in a four-season span. Stony Brook's head coach is Youngstown State Athletics Hall of Fame member Caroline McCombs, who was a starter on YSU's NCAA Tournament teams in 1996 and 1998.

Tickets will be $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 12-and-under, and YSU students will be admitted for free with a valid student ID. The YSU Athletic Ticket Office in Stambaugh Stadium will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday, and Penguin Club members and season ticket holders will have until 5 p.m. on Wednesday to purchase their tickets. The Beeghly Center Ticket Office and gates to the arena will open at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. For more information or to order tickets by phone, call (330) 941-1YSU.

Youngstown State enters the WBI with a 19-12 record, one victory away from the 11th 20-win season in program history. The Penguins were the No. 6 seed in last week's Horizon League Tournament, and they beat Oakland in the opening round before falling to Wright State in the quarterfinals.

Youngstown State is the No. 2 seed on the right side of the WBI bracket, and defending champion Louisiana is the top seed on the right side. Fellow Horizon League member Northern Kentucky is the top seed on the left side of the bracket.

Stony Brook will come to Youngstown with a 17-14 overall record, which included an 8-8 mark in the America East Conference. The Seawolves are playing in the WBI for the second straight season, both of which have come with McCombs as their head coach.

Youngstown State and Stony Brook have played twice previously in a home-and-home series in the 2011-12 and 2012-13 seasons. Stony Brook beat YSU 54-47 in New York on Dec. 27, 2011, and Youngstown State evened the series with a 76-43 win in Youngstown on Nov. 30, 2012. The winner of Wednesday's matchup will advance to play either UMBC or Fairfield.

The Horizon League has had success in the first years of the WBI. UIC won the tournament as a No. 4 seed in 2014, and Detroit was the champion as a No. 1 seed in 2013.