Jersey City, NJ - Saint Peter's College has been selected to play in the 2003 Women's National Invitation Tournament, according to the WNIT.
The Peahens, who have made seven appearances in the postseason NCAA Division I Tournament, will play in the WNIT for the first time when they visit Rutgers University on Friday, November 14 in one of eight first-round games nationwide for the 16-team field. The starting time of the game will be announced later. The 2003 WNIT semifinal games will be Thursday, November 20, with the championship game on Sunday, November 23. All games will be played on campus sites.
The second round game for the winner of Saint Peter's at Rutgers game will be played on Sunday, November 16 vs. the winner of the Jackson State-Mississippi. Other teams in the 16-team field are: Texas-San Antonio, Texas Tech, Rhode Island, Western Kentucky, Southeast Missouri State, Utah, San Diego, UC-Santa Barbara, Miami (Ohio), Michigan, Liberty and Cincinnati.
Saint Peter's went 14-14 in 2002-03 and is 592-234 in 31 seasons under Coach Mike Granelli. Saint Peter's women's basketball will face Rutgers for the first time in this Preseason WNIT.
Granelli entered last season ninth in wins among active Division I coaches. His Saint Peter's teams have topped 20 wins 18 times since 1978-79, experiencing just one sub-.500 record in that 25-season span.
The 1981-82 Peahens were the first New Jersey team to play in the NCAA Division I Tournament. Rutgers, a power in the old AIAW, earned its first NCAA berth in 1986. Saint Peter's later qualified for the NCAA Tournament in 1992, 1993, 1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002.
The 2003-04 Peahens will include their two postseason MAAC all-star honorees. Senior point guard Lindsay Gonzalez was First-Team All-MAAC after averaging 11.1 points and 4.8 assists per game. She scored a career-high 30 points in a February win over Iona, and tied the school record with 17 assists in a December win at Lafayette.
Kristen Hood, a 5-9 swing player was a MAAC All-Rookie selection following a freshman season in which she averaged 5.6 points and 3.3 rebounds, while playing in all 28 games (15 starts). Her season scoring high was 14 against Niagara in February.
Rutgers was 21-8 in 2002-03, advancing to the second round of the 2003 NCAA Tournament. The Scarlet Knights reached the NCAA Final Four as recently as 2000 under Coach C. Vivian Stringer, who is 154-96 in eight seasons at Rutgers.