Wake Forest Athletics
Deacs Earn At-Large Bid to WNIT
3/14/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
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By Wake Forest Athletic Communications (@WakeWBB)
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- Wake Forest women's basketball is heading back to the postseason after earning a bid to the 2016 WNIT on Monday night. The postseason appearance marks the first for the Demon Deacons under fourth-year head coach Jen Hoover and is the program's first since going to the WNIT in 2012.
In the first round of the tournament, Wake Forest will take on Charlotte on Thursday, March 17 in Charlotte. The Demon Deacons have played Charlotte twice before in the WNIT, winning both games. The Deacs topped the 49ers in the 2005 tournament 100-75 and beat them again in 2012, 72-61. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m. inside Halton Arena. The winner will take on the winner of Florida Gulf Coast and Bethune-Cookman, which is scheduled for Friday, March 18.
"We're very excited to be playing in the 2016 WNIT," said Wake Forest head coach Jen Hoover. "We've worked hard to bring the program into the national spotlight and this is a stepping stone on the way to where we want to be as a program. We're anxiously awaiting who we will play first so we can get started on the road to winning a championship."
The appearance marks the fifth WNIT berth for the Demon Deacons all-time. Wake Forest has won at least one game on two of the four occasions, winning each of the first two games during its first appearance in 2005 before winning again in 2012. All-time, Wake Forest is 3-4 in the WNIT and 4-5 in postseason play with a 1-1 mark in the NCAA Tournament.
Wake Forest currently stands at 16-15 on the season after reaching the second round of the ACC Tournament on March 3. The Deacs dropped a heartbreaker to Georgia Tech in the tournament by falling 67-65 even though Ariel Stephenson scored 21 points and Milan Quinn had a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
This season, the Demon Deacons went 6-10 in ACC play, which marks the highest conference win total in a single season under Hoover. The 16 overall wins is also already the most under Hoover in her four years at the helm of the program. Wake Forest started league play 0-5 but responded to go 6-5 over the final 11 games of the regular season entering the ACC Tournament. Amber Campbell has led the Deacs with 13.2 points per game this season, but she's followed closely by Stephenson's 12.8, Quinn's 10.7 and Elisa Penna's 9.9.
This WNIT appearance will mark Hoover's second appearance in the tournament as a head coach. In her one season at High Point in 2011-12, Hoover took the Panthers to the WNIT but fell 88-78 in the first round on the road against NC State. As an assistant, Hoover helped California to the WNIT championship in 2010 as the Golden Bears topped Miami 73-61 in the final on April 3.
Graduate student Keyonna Allen is the only player on the Wake Forest roster to have played postseason basketball, participating in the 2013 WNIT with Presbyterian. The Blue Hose fell 70-48 to Lamar in the first round of the 2013 tournament. Off the bench, Allen went 2-for-3 from the field and 4-for-7 from the free throw line to score eight points in 15 minutes of action while tying for the team-high with seven rebounds.
Tickets to Thursday night's game are on sale through the Charlotte ticket office. Prices start at $2 for groups of 10 or more. Adult tickets will cost $6 and youth tickets are priced at $3. Group ticket rates require ordering in advance. Fans wishing to purchase tickets to the game can visit Charlotte49ers.com or call (704) 4949. All seating for Thursday's game is general admission.
Wake Forest in the WNIT...
2005
First Round -- W, 100-75 vs. Charlotte
Second Round -- W, 78-63 vs. South Florida
Third Round -- L, 65-62 vs. West Virginia
2009
First Round -- L, 72-61 vs. Georgetown
2010
First Round -- L, 79-49 vs. North Carolina A&T
2012
First Round -- W, 72-61 vs. Charlotte
Second Round -- L, 84-76 (OT) vs. James Madison
