RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Manhattan College has accepted a bid to play in the 2011 Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI). The Lady Jaspers (22-9), who earned the No. 5 seed in the East region, begin the postseason on Thursday night with a 7 p.m. matchup against fourth-seeded Sacred Heart (18-12) at Draddy Gymnasium.
Manhattan, which has already set a school record for victories this season, finished third in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The Lady Jaspers last played on March 5, when they fell, 50-47, to Loyola in the MAAC semifinals. Senior guard Abby Wentworth (Portland, Maine), a First Team All-MAAC and MAAC All-Tournament Team selection, leads Manhattan in scoring (14.3 ppg), assists (4.2 apg) and steals (3.0 spg). Freshman guard/forward Monica Roeder (Marlton, N.J.), who was named to the MAAC All-Rookie Team, contributes 9.2 points per game and junior forward Lindsey Loutsenhizer (North Huntingdon, Pa.), a Third Team All-MAAC choice, adds 8.8 points per contest.
Sacred Heart finished third in the Northeast Conference this season, but was upset by Central Connecticut, 54-49, in the NEC quarterfinals. Junior forward Callan Taylor was named First Team All-NEC. She leads the Pioneers with 14.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. Freshman guard Ericka Norman earned a place on the NEC All-Rookie Team after distributing 3.7 assists per contest.
This will be the fifth national postseason appearance in program history, and the first since 2003. The Lady Jaspers have played in the NCAA Tournament four times (1987, 1990, 1996, 2003). Manhattan also participated in the 1982 and 1983 ECAC Tournaments, picking up its only postseason victory, 70-66 over Fairfield, in 1983.
The WBI was created in 2010 to provide additional postseason opportunities for deserving teams that weren't selected for the NCAA Tournament or Women's NIT. Manhattan will be the second MAAC squad to participate in the 16-team event. Last season, Fairfield lost in the quarterfinals of the inaugural WBI to eventual champion Appalachian State.
The Manhattan-Sacred Heart winner will face either top-seeded Wright State (19-12) or No. 8 Buffalo (16-15) in the quarterfinals on March 19 or 20. The WBI semifinals are scheduled for March 23 and 24, while the championship game will take place on either March 26 or 27.