Women's Basketball
Thursday, March 21, 2019
WNIT First Round
Rider Broncs (19-12, 14-4 MAAC) at West Virginia Mountaineers (20-10, 11-7 Big 12)
Location: Morgantown, WV – WVU Coliseum (14,000)
Tip: 7:00 pm
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
Live Video: WVUSports.com
Live Audio: 107.7 The Bronc
Twitter: @RiderWBB
Complete Game Notes: West Virginia (WNIT First Round)

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
- All regular-season home games in 2018-19 will be carried on either ESPN3 or ESPN+. Road games only will be carried on 107.7 The Bronc, including Thursday's tilt with Joe Vasile on the call.

- Thursday's meeting will mark the first-ever contest between Rider and West Virginia.

- The Mountaineers enter the first round of the WNIT with a 20-10 overall record. West Virginia is in the midst of a two-game losing streak after falling in the regular-season finale to No. 1 Baylor before being upended by Kansas State in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 Championship. WVU freshman forward Kari Niblack was named the Big 12 Sixth Man of the Year following a strong season. Redshirt junior guard Tynice Martin and senior guard/forward Naomi Davenport were selected to the All-Big 12 First Team, while freshman guard Madisen Smith was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. A three-time Big 12 Freshman of the Week, Smith is just the third West Virginia player to earn a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. As a team, the Mountaineers are averaging over 71 points per game with three players averaging in double figures.

- Rider earned the MAAC's automatic bid to the WNIT thanks to finishing second in the league's regular-season standings and regular-season champion, Quinnipiac, winning the MAAC tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Rider is making their second trip to the WNIT in the last three seasons and their second trip in program history to a Division I postseason tournament.

- Rider made its first-ever trip to the WNIT in March of 2017. The Broncs traveled to Virginia to face Virginia Tech. The Hokies topped Rider, 76-62, in Blacksburg. In the setback, both Stella Johnson and Lexi Posset scored in double figures for the Broncs. MAAC teams have lost two WNIT games in a row. The last MAAC team to win in the first round of the WNIT was Quinnipiac in 2016.

- The Women's National Invitation Tournament is an annual tournament involving 64 of the nation's top women's Division I basketball teams. All games, including the semifinals and championship, are hosted by participating schools. Every round is single elimination. The Postseason WNIT features 32 first-round games, followed by 16 second-round games, eight third-round games, four quarterfinal games, two semifinal games, and the championship. The championship game is televised live nationally. The event offers 32 automatic berths, one to each established conference, and 32 at-large berths.

- Following the MAAC Championship game on March 11, junior guard Stella Johnson was named to the MAAC All-Championship. In the Bronc run to the MAAC Semifinals, Stella averaged 22 points, eight rebounds, over four assists and one steal per contest. She recorded her third double-double of the season in the MAAC Quarterfinals versus Iona. In the win over Iona, Stella scored 20 points to go along with 12 rebounds, seven assists and one steal. She scored a game-high 24 points to go along four rebounds, two assists, one block and one steal in the MAAC Semifinals against Marist. The Broncs had a player land on the MAAC All-Tournament Team for the third year in a row after Julia Duggan made it during the team's run to the conference championship game in 2017 and Stella was named to the team in 2018 as well.

- Junior guard Stella Johnson was named the 2019 MAAC Women's Basketball Player on Friday, March 8 as announced by the league during the 2019 Basketball Postseason Awards Show on ESPN3. Johnson becomes the second player in the last three years and the second Bronc in program history to be tabbed as the MAAC Player of the Year.