Women's Basketball June 07, 2017

Panthers Draw Drake In Preseason WNIT Opener

Milwaukee will travel to Des Moines in season opener Nov. 10

MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee women's basketball team will take on Drake University on the road in the first round of the 24th annual Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), it was announced Wednesday by tournament operator and manager Triple Crown Sports. The Panthers and Bulldogs will tangle at 7 pm Nov. 10 at the Knapp Center, with ticket information to be released at a later date.

Drake was one of the stories of the season last year, posting a 28-5 overall record, headlined by a program and conference record 22-game win streak. In fact, the Bulldogs posted a perfect 18-0 mark in the Missouri Valley Conference and finished the season ranked No. 18 in the USA Today Women's Basketball Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the AP Poll.

Led by last year's MVC Coach of the Year Jennie Baranczyk, DU should be bolstered next year by the return of three starters, including MVC Freshman of the Year Becca Hittner. Four players averaged more than 10 points per game last year for Drake, including graduating senior and MVC Player of the Year Lizzy Wendell.

Milwaukee and Drake will be meeting for just the eighth time, with and the first time since late December of 2013.

Should the Panthers defeat Drake in their Preseason WNIT opener, they would move on to face the winning of the Oregon-CSUN first-round contest that will be played in Eugene, Ore., also on Nov. 10. That Preseason WNIT quarterfinal game would take place on either Nov. 12-13, with the host school later to be determined. On the other hand, an opening-round loss to Drake would drop the Panthers into the consolation bracket, with matchups and sites to be determined at a later date.

The Preseason WNIT semifinals are slated for Nov. 16 and the title game will take place at 2 pm Nov. 19 live on CBS Sports Network. All tournament games, in both the championship and consolation brackets, will be held at campus sites around the country.

The Panthers are among the eight teams in this year's Preseason WNIT that advanced to postseason play in 2016-17, led by Elite Eight qualifier Oregon. In addition to the Ducks, last year's Drake, perennial power Louisville, Texas A&M and Toledo teams all also were part of the Big Dance last March.

Milwaukee will be making its second appearance in the Preseason WNIT. Its first showing came back in 2005 when the tournament operated under a strict bracket format. The opening pairing sent UWM to powerhouse Oklahoma in the first game of the season, with the Sooners coming out on top on its way to a runner-up finish behind only UCONN.

The Panthers also qualified for the Postseason WNIT just over one year ago at the end of the 2015-16 campaign, nearly pulling off the upset at Minnesota before coming up just short, 87-80.

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