EL PASO, Texas – UTEP women’s basketball will head to Texas Tech for first-round action of the WNIT as the program gets set to compete in a postseason tournament for the first time since the 2016 campaign.
Game time is slated for Thursday, March 16 at 5 p.m. MT/6 p.m. CT.
Texas Tech is 18-14 this season and went 6-12 in the Big 12 Conference. Inside the friendly confines of United Supermarkets Arena, the Lady Raiders boast an impressive 13-6 record in front of an average of 4,990 fans per contest. Bre’Amber Scott leads the way offensively, averaging 17 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
UTEP Head Coach Kevin Baker and Texas Tech Head Coach Krista Gerlich were on staff together at West Texas A&M for five seasons where Baker was an assistant under Gerlich. The program was a top-10 team nationally in all five of those seasons, advancing to the NCC Tournament on four occasions.
Each WNIT game prior for the Miners has been played inside the Don Haskins Center, with UTEP averaging 7,773 fans. Three of those contests featured crowds larger than 10,000, highlighted by back-to-back sellouts of 12,222 fans in the 2014 semifinals and championships against San Diego State and Rutgers.
After securing a 20-11 record this season, highlighted by an 11-3 mark at home, the Miners were one of 64 teams selected to the field, including one of four from Conference USA. Other C-USA representatives in the tournament include WKU, Rice and LA Tech.
There are 35 teams that won at least 20 games and 17 teams that either won or tied for first place in their conference’s regular-season slate competing in the event.
Overall, the Miners are 8-2 in the WNIT and 9-4 across all postseason play.
This marks the third trip to the WNIT in program history for the Miners, who previously earned a spot in the field in 2014 and 2016.
In 2014, UTEP played all six games in El Paso, finishing as the runner-up after an incredible run to the championship game against Rutgers.
The 2016 team reached the quarterfinals after winning three games to start the tournament.
The WNIT is celebrating 25 years of showcasing the best of college basketball with fan excitement and level of play. The postseason version of the event is the second-longest active postseason event for women’s college basketball behind the NCAA Tournament and features a 64-team field with 32 automatic berths and 32 at-large spots.
Automatic berths go to regular-season champions that do not make the NCAA Tournament or the highest-finishing teams in each conference that do not make the NCAA Tournament.
All games throughout the tournament will be hosted by participating schools with first-round games from March 15-17, followed by round two (March 18-21), round three (March 22-24), quarterfinals (March 25-27), semifinals (March 28-29) and the championship on Saturday, April 1 at 3:30 p.m. MT on CBS Sports Network.
“Postseason accomplishments can fuel some of the most powerful and deeply felt memories that college basketball programs will experience, and we are thrilled the WNIT has been on the job for 25 years to provide an avenue for players, coaches and fans to make the most of these opportunities,” said WNIT Director Johnna Pointer. “From the start, Triple Crown has elevated and appreciated the dedication found within women’s sports, and every indication suggests the 2023 Postseason WNIT will challenge the teams involved and keep fans on the edge of their seats.”