WASHINGTON STATE (12-19) at BYU (20-11)
7:00 p.m. MT | Thursday | March 16, 2017 | WNIT 1st Round
Provo, Utah | Marriott Center (19,000)

WSU ADVANCES TO THE WNIT
After a long hard fought season in the nation's top rated conference, the Washington State women's basketball team has earned a spot in the postseason as the Pac-12's automatic qualifier for the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT). In the 20th edition of the WNIT the Cougs drew BYU out of the WCC in the first round of play. First-round games will be held March 15-17; the second round runs March 18-21. Round 3 is slated for March 22-24; Round 4 is March 25-27, and the WNIT semifinals are set for March 29-30. The Cougars earned the conference's automatic bid into the postseason tournament thanks to their seventh place finish in the standings. With the Pac-12 earning a record seven bids to the Big Dance, the Cougars became the conference's first team out making them the first team into the WNIT. The bid into the WNIT marks the third time in the last four seasons the Cougars advanced to the postseason tournament.

LAST TIME OUT AT THE PAC-12 TOURNAMENT
The Cougars went 1-1 at the Pac-12 Tournament, defeating Colorado, 79-78, in the opening round before falling to the eventual champion Cardinal of Stanford, 66-36, in round two. Alexys Swedlund's 64.3% (9-14) shooting against Colorado was the second-best for any Coug in a Pac-12 Tournament game all-time. The comeback against Colorado from 14-points down tied for the fourth-largest rally for the Cougs in program history as WSU stormed into the second round of tournament. The Cougs and the Buffs combined for a Pac-12 Tournament record 21 threes in the contest. WSU shot 52.7% (29-55) against Colorado, a season-best for the Cougs and their best-ever showing in a Pac-12 Tournament game. From behind the arc, WSU was even better at 58.8% (10-17) a season high and Pac-12 Tournament all-time high for the Cougs.

WASHINGTON STATE IN THE REGULAR SEASON
The Cougars finished the regular season with a 12-18 overall record, including a 6-12 mark in Pac-12 Conference play earning a tie for 7th after being picked to finish 10th in the preseason. Most recently, WSU split its final regular-season series, falling to Utah, 74-57, Thursday before defeating Colorado, 67-56, Saturday on senior day. The Cougars lost six games this season that were decided by two possessions (six points) or less or in overtime. Washington State defeated one nationally-ranked opponent this season, upsetting #9/7 UCLA, 82-73, on Jan. 6 in the program's biggest upset ever. WSU earned a spot in the WNIT thanks to their 7th place finish in the Pac-12.

ABOUT BYU
BYU earned the West Coast Conference's automatic bid to the WNIT after finishing as the runner-up to NCAA Tournament bound Gonzaga. BYU finished the regular season 20-11. They are led by three scorers averaging double-digits with Cassie Broadhead posting 17.9 ppg on 47.7% shooting to lead the way. Kalani Purcell averaged a double-double on the year with 12.9 ppg and 10.6 rpg in 31 starts. The top three BYU players are each averaging over 36 minutes per contest.
Overall on the year, WSU has been well acquainted with the WCC having gone 4-1 against the conference prior to Pac-12 play. All-time BYU holds a 5-4 edge against WSU including posting a 4-1 advantage at home in Provo.