SUGAR BEARS CONTINUE QUEST FOR WBI TITLE AS WEBER STATE VISITS TONIGHT

[Seminole Indian]

CONWAY — After picking up the program's first Division I national postseason tournament victory on Thursday with a 51-39 win over SIUE, the Sugar Bears will look to make it two in a row on Monday in the quarterfinals of the Women's Basketball Invitational as they host Weber State at 7:30 in the Farris Center.

The game will be the nightcap in a Central Arkansas postseason doubleheader, with the Bears hosting Jacksonville State at 5:30 in the quarterfinals of the College Basketball Invitational after last week's 92-90 overtime win at Seattle. Both games can be heard on The Bear 91.3 and seen on the Southland Digital Network, also available on the Southland Conference apps for iPhone, Android, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Roku.

It will be the first-ever meeting between the Sugar Bears (23-9) and Wildcats (21-10), who finished the season 4th in the Big Sky conference with a 12-6 league record en route to their first 20-win season since 2004-05.

Weber State advanced to Monday's quarterfinal by defeating Texas Southern 66-56 in Houston last Thursday. The Wildcats were eliminated from the Big Sky tournament with a 113-109 loss to Idaho State. It was the highest point total of the season for the Wildcats, who average 76.5 points per game – the 31st best average in the country – and make 10.2 3-pointers per game, the nation's 7th-best mark.

They are led by 5-foot-6 senior guard Larryn Brooks, a Texas Tech transfer who was named first-team All-Big Sky and the league's Newcomer of the Year after averaging 20.3 points per game – making her the No. 25 scorer in the country. She ranks 5th nationally in 3-pointers made per game, hitting 3.9 per contest.

She is one of four Wildcats averaging double figures in scoring for the season, with 5-3 junior guard Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman at 11.6, 5-9 junior guard Emily Drake at 11.3 and 5-9 senior guard Kailie Quinn at 10.5.

It is the second time in the WBI for both the Sugar Bears and Wildcats, with the Sugar Bears falling to eventual champion UAB in the first round of the 2011 tournament in Central Arkansas' first year of Division I postseason eligibility; while Weber State advanced to the championship game of the 2016 WBI with wins over New Mexico, North Dakota and USC Upstate before falling 87-85 to Louisiana in double overtime in the title game.

The Wildcats and Sugar Bears have one common opponent this season, with Weber State beating Southland Conference member Incarnate Word 79-55 in Ogden in November and the Sugar Bears beating the Cardinals 57-35 in San Antonio in January.

The Sugar Bears will be aiming to continue their Postseason Run presented by First Security Bank, with a win setting up a semifinals date against the Nevada-Fresno State winner in the Farris Center next Saturday, March 24.

http://www.ucasports.com/news/2018/3/18/womens-basketball-sugar-bears-continue-quest-for-wbi-title-as-weber-state-visits.aspx