University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagle Basketball to Open Preseason WNIT Against Alabama State
6/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The Southern Miss women's basketball team will open the 2015-16 season by hosting Alabama State in Reed Green Coliseum in the first round of the Preseason WNIT announced today by Triple Crown Sports. Southern Miss and the Hornets will face off on Friday, Nov. 13 at 11 a.m. for its annual Education Day.
Round 2 of the 16-team event will unfold Nov. 15-17; the semifinals are Nov. 19, and the Preseason WNIT Championship will be played at 3 p.m. ET, Nov. 22, with the contest being televised by CBS Sports Network.
On one side of the bracket, in order, the Nov. 13 games are:UT Arlington at Baylor, 6 p.m. CTAlabama State at Southern Miss, 11 a.m. CTJacksonville at South Florida, 6 p.m. ETDartmouth at Drexel, 7 p.m. ETAll game times are local to host site.
The other half of the bracket, in order, has these matchups for Nov. 13:Southern Illinois at DePaul, 7 p.m. CTSiena at St. Bonaventure, 5:30 p.m. ETTennessee State at Indiana, Noon ETMcNeese State at Chattanooga, 6:30 p.m. ET
Ten of the 16 teams advanced to postseason play in 2015; this is the Preseason WNIT debut for Alabama State, Jacksonville, Southern Miss, St. Bonaventure, Tennessee State and UT Arlington.
Teams making their first return to the event are Dartmouth (2006), DePaul (2010), Siena (2002), South Florida (2004) and Southern Illinois (1997). Others with multiple appearances are Drexel (2011, 2005), Indiana (2008, 1998), McNeese State (2011, 2004), Baylor (2011, 2006, 1998) and Chattanooga (2011, 2005, 2000).
In the 2014 Preseason WNIT Championship, Mississippi State topped Western Kentucky, 88-77.
The tournament features a three-game guarantee, so if a team loses in the championship bracket before it has played three games, it will play in the consolation bracket.
Southern Miss is coming off its second straight 25-plus winning season and its second-straight WNIT postseason appearance. The Lady Eagles return only one starter from last season's squad that finished with a 25-11 record overall and back-to-back runner-up finishes in the Conference USA Championship. Senior Jerontay Clemons returns for her senior season as the Coldwater, Miss., native is the team's top returning scorer and rebounder after averaging 12.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game. Juniors Kierra Jordan and Brittanny Dinkins also return as two of the six players to see action in all 36 games last season.
