St. Joseph’s accepts bid to NIT; Drexel and La Salle to compete in WNIT
The Hawks will face Colorado State on Wednesday in the first round of the NIT. The WNIT bracket is expected to be released on Monday.
They did not make it to the NCAA Tournament, but three schools in the Big 5 will continue their season.
St. Joseph’s has accepted a bid to the National Invitation Tournament, while La Salle and Drexel will participate in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament.
The Hawks will travel to play Colorado State (21-12) on Wednesday (ESPNU, 11 p.m.).
In the WNIT, La Salle earned a bye and will play the winner of a first-round matchup between Mercyhurst (15-16) and Binghamton (19-12) on a date to be determined. The Dragons will visit St. Bonaventure (16-15) on Thursday at 6 p.m.
NIT
St. Joe’s (22-11), which is unseeded in the Albuquerque Regional of the bracket, was selected to the NIT for the third consecutive year. The Hawks finished third in the Atlantic 10 and made a semifinal appearance in the conference tournament, where they lost, 77-64, to eventual A-10 champion Virginia Commonwealth.
First-year coach Steve Donahue was named A-10 coach of the year, as he led St. Joe’s to 13 wins in 16 games to close the regular season.
WNIT
Drexel (21-10) fell, 53-49, in overtime to Hofstra in the semifinals of the Coastal Athletic Association tournament. This is the Dragons’ first postseason appearance since qualifying for the 2024 NCAA Tournament.
La Salle’s 18 wins are the same amount it had in the last two seasons combined. The Explorers (18-13), who finished sixth in the A-10, are led by guard Aryss Macktoon, who was named the conference’s defensive player of the year and ranked 10th in the country in steals.
» READ MORE: La Salle eliminated from A-10 quarterfinals with 70-51 loss to Richmond
Macktoon also was named second-team all-conference alongside Ashleigh Connor, who finished third in the A-10 in scoring at 15.7 points per game.