The Long Beach State women’s basketball team returns to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the second consecutive season.
The 49ers (24-8) open tournament play against Oregon (20-10) on Thursday.
“It is an incredible honor to be playing postseason basketball,” head coach Jody Wynn said in a press release. “This will be a great challenge for our program to play a Pac-12 team on their home court. Oregon is a very talented and extremely well-coached team.”
Last season, LBSU received an invitation to play in the WNIT, but was eliminated in the first round by the University of San Diego. The Toreros held off the 49ers for a 63-56 win on March 19, 2015, bringing LBSU’s all-time record in the tournament to 2-3.
The 49ers will make their third tournament appearance in the last four years on Thursday. However, LBSU has yet to win a single WNIT game. In fact, the 49ers haven’t won in the postseason since the beat Saint Mary’s 73-48 in the second round of the 2000 WNIT.
“Going to the postseason in three of the last four years is certainly a great accomplishment for our program,” Wynn added. “It is a testament to how hard our young women have worked and how well they have performed on the court.”
LBSU takes on Oregon on Thursday at 6 p.m. inside the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Oregon.