ELON, N.C. - After a stellar 19-12 season that included a victory in the quarterfinals of the Southern Conference Tournament last weekend, the Elon women's basketball team has accepted an invitation to play in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational.

This will mark Elon's first postseason tournament since joining the Division I ranks and the first in the program's history since the 1981-82 squad made it to the NAIA District 26 Tournament after winning the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title. Elon's 19 wins this year tie the 2002-03 squad for the most in the Division I era, while its 12 wins in league play double last year's total.

"We are obviously excited to play in the postseason because any time your team has the opportunity to play basketball in mid-to-late March, you're making significant strides," said Elon head coach Karen Barefoot. "We've set the goal from the start to be one of the top programs in our conference and to finish strong. As a result, the records and accomplishments have allowed us to continue playing into the postseason and I am ecstatic for our program, fans, university and especially our staff and team who worked so hard to turn this program around. This is our chance to show people what Elon basketball is all about."

The first round of the WBI is scheduled to begin next week on March 16/17, as pairings in the 16-team tournament will be announced on Monday night, March 14, via www.womensbasketballinvitational.com.

The WBI is a 16-team, single elimination tournament that was created last season to address additional post-season opportunities for women's college teams who did not make the NCAA tournament field. The WBI tournament format is in an East/West format with each side seeded 1-8. Last year, the top-seeded Appalachian State Mountaineers in the east defeated the west's top seed Memphis in the championship game in Boone, N.C.

Below is a list of dates for the WBI. Tournament seeds and game sites will be determined when the bracket is released on Monday night, March 14.

Women's Basketball Invitational Dates
First Round
Wednesday, March 16
Thursday, March 17

Second Round
Saturday, March 19
Sunday, March 20

Semifinals
Wednesday, March 23
Thursday, March 24

Championship
Saturday or Sunday, March 26 or 27