GREENVILLE, S.C. -- Furman women’s basketball team will make its first appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) this Thursday when it travels to Auburn to face the Tigers in a first round matchup at Auburn Arena. Tipoff time has yet to be announced. Click here for tournament bracket.
The Women’s NIT, a single elimination event now in its 17th year, features 64 teams composed of 32 automatic qualifiers and 32 at-large selections. Furman (18-12, 12-6 SoCon), by virtue of its second place Southern Conference regular season finish, earned the SoCon’s automatic qualifier. Auburn (17-14, 7-9 SEC), also an automatic qualifier, finished tied for sixth in the Southeastern Conference.
The winner of the Furman-Auburn game will play the winner of the Navy-Old Dominion matchup at a date and site to be determined. All games are hosted by participating schools. The championship game will be played on April 5 and broadcast live on CBS Sports Network.
“We’re very excited to participate in the WNIT against a program like Auburn,” said Furman head coach Jackie Carson late Monday evening. “Our non-conference schedule helps prepare us for exciting challenges like the one ahead, and our players are looking forward to competing against Auburn.”
Thursday's Furman-Auburn game will be audio streamed through StretchAudio at FurmanPaladins.com, with Bryant Lambert on the call. Twitter updates will be provided @FurmanWBB
Furman’s post-season appearance is its first since 2000 and third in program history. The Paladins won SoCon tournament championships and qualified for NCAA Tournament play in 1999 and 2000.
Furman, a SoCon preseason consensus sixth place pick, was the league’s most improved team this season by virtue of its run to second place — the program’s highest league finish in over a decade. Under the direction of Carson, the consensus SoCon Coach of the Year now in her fourth season at her alma mater, the Paladins secured their first winning season since 2004-05 with a 71-66 triumph over Elon on Feb. 24 and finished off the regular season with five straight wins before dropping a 75-70 decision to Western Carolina in SoCon Tournament quarterfinal action.
Furman heads into WNIT play with a pair of first team All-SoCon performers in junior forward Brittany Hodges (13.2 ppg) and sophomore forward Holli Wilkins (15.1 ppg), as well as the league’s assist leader (182), senior guard Brigid Morrissey.
Hodges topped the conference in rebounding (9.2 rpg) and finished the regular season ranked second in field goal percentage (56.7 percent). Limited in the preseason due to injury, the 6-foot-1 Powder Springs, Ga., product and league’s 2011-12 freshman of the year, started slowly but proved to be money over the final two thirds of the season, averaging 14.6 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. Included in the run was a career high 32-point, 17-rebound performance in an 80-72 triumph over Wofford on Feb. 8 and a 21-point, 10-rebound outing in the Paladins’ 78-68 win over Georgia Southern in the regular season season finale — the latest of her team best 14 double-double displays.
Wilkins, who succeeded Hodges as league freshman of the year, leads the Paladins and ranks fourth in the SoCon in scoring. She also tops Furman and stands fourth in the league in 3-point shooting with a 39.0 percent accuracy rate. The 5-foot-11, Atlanta, Ga., native paced the Paladins in scoring in 16 contests, including a career high 30-point performance in a 78-67 triumph over Anderson in late November, and topped 20 points a team best seven times.
Morrissey established a new Furman single season assists record in the Paladins’ 71-66 win over Elon on Feb. 24, topping the previous standard held by Tara Charles (147, 2000-01), and her 368 career assists rank fourth in school history. She fashioned an 11-point, 12-assist outing in a 76-75 road victory over Charlotte in late December, delivering a critical 3-pointer in the closing minutes against the 49ers that spurred the Paladins to a 76-75 victory. She also produced big time in the Paladins’ regular season finale triumph over Georgia Southern, delivering 13 points and 11 assists, and registered a career high 13 dishes against Western Carolina in SoCon Tournament play.
In addition to Hodges, Wilkins, and Morrissey, the Paladins boast junior forward Sarah Durdaller (9.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg), who is coming off a season high 19-point performance against Western Carolina that secured for her All-SoCon Tournament honors. She finished the regular season with a 15-point, eight-rebound outing versus Georgia Southern.
Furman also sports a pair of key freshman contributors in guards Whitney Bunn (7.7 ppg) and Allison Beasley (5.5 ppg). Bunn, a SoCon All-Freshman Team selection, stands second on the team in assists and steals, and Beasley has come on strong of late, shooting 41.4 percent (17-of-41) from 3-point range over the last eight games.