The MSU women’s basketball team’s season will continue following an invitation into the Women’s National Invitational Tournament.
After being denied an NCAA berth, the Spartans (16-12) were invited to host the first round of the WNIT. MSU will play DePaul (15-13) at 7 p.m. Thursday at Breslin Center.
Once the NCAA selection committee picks its field of 64, the WNIT invites the top 32 remaining teams. All games are hosted by the participating schools in a single-elimination format.
Spartan head coach Joanne P. McCallie said the teams’ WNIT bid is encouraging for her second-year staff.
“We’re very excited to have our season continue and to be in the postseason in year two with a very young team,” McCallie said. “It’s very, very exciting.”
She was informed about the Spartans’ WNIT invitation over the telephone Sunday night. While watching “A Season on the Brink,” she watched the clock and anxiously waited for her phone to ring.
“I got the call at 9:30 and was very excited,” McCallie said. “As it approached 9:30, I was like ‘OK, come on, let’s go.’
“I called Mina (Reese), I called Abby (Salscheider) and the coaches to let them know, and now off we go. They were very excited and ready to pass along the information to their teammates.”
Salscheider, a senior forward, and Reese, a junior guard, will be graduating after the season. Both know MSU’s next loss will be their last game in Spartan uniforms.
“We can’t wait. We are just ready to go,” Reese said. “We are very deserving to play in the postseason and we are looking to make some noise in the tournament.
“Going to the NIT is just as good as going to the NCAA because the team is getting a chance to participate in postseason, and we are getting looked at.”
McCallie said the seniors aren’t prepared to go out without a fight.
“I think as seniors, they are anxious to add to the legacy that they’re going to leave here,” McCallie said. “I think there is a genuine feeling about ‘We’re not done yet. We’ve got another chance.’ That’s what I sensed in their voices.”
The Spartans’ opponent, DePaul, finished fourth in Conference USA. Similar to the Spartans, the Blue Demons didn’t have a shot at the NCAA Tournament and are excited to play in the WNIT.
DePaul is playing in its third consecutive WNIT, advancing to the second round each time.
The Spartans are making their third trip to the WNIT, returning after one year without postseason play. MSU advanced to the quarterfinals in 1999 and 2000 before losing to Wisconsin both years.
Sophomore forward Julie Pagel said the Spartans proved themselves throughout the regular season and will be a factor in the WNIT.
“We’re getting ready for the NIT and we’re going to be ready to play,” she said. “We beat a lot of teams that are in the NCAA Tournament, and in the NIT we’re going to play hard and do some damage.”
The winner of the MSU-DePaul game will meet the winner of the Illinois-Western Kentucky contest. The location of the second round matchup will be determined by the WNIT committee, who will look at building attendance in the first round. The date and time also will be announced at a later date.
