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Matchups set for Penn, Drexel and St. Joe’s in the women’s NIT

Penn, Drexel, and St. Joseph’s hit the road this week for the WNIT. Here’s who they will be facing.

WNIT play will serve as a farewell to Drexel senior Keishana Washington.
WNIT play will serve as a farewell to Drexel senior Keishana Washington.Read moreSTEVEN M. FALK / Staff Photographer
    by Melanie Heller
    Published 

Villanova is the only local team going dancing in the women’s NCAA Tournament bracket, but three more City 6 women’s squads will see postseason action, in the WNIT.

Penn, Drexel, and St. Joseph’s will all hit the road this week for the WNIT Round of 64. Here’s who they will be facing:

Penn at Richmond (6 p.m. Thursday)

Fans can see Kayla Padilla don the Red and Blue one final time. A two-bid Ivy was dashed with Columbia being the first team out of the field of 68, but a three-bid Ivy in the WNIT should make up for it.

”[This is an] awesome accomplishment for a team that has worked incredibly hard,” Penn coach Mike McLaughlin said. “Postseason basketball is every team’s goal.”

Though there were some rumblings that the Palestra would be home to postseason hoops, Penn will travel to Virginia to take on Richmond on Thursday. The Spiders (20-10) finished fifth in the Atlantic 10 this season.

» READ MORE: Bracket Jawn 2023: The Inquirer is handing out $1,000 to the winner of this college hoops challenge

Drexel at Fordham (7 p.m. Thursday)

As regular-season champion, Drexel was riding high entering the CAA tournament. Though the Dragons’ dreams were dashed early, a spot in the WNIT was awaiting them. Fordham (18-12) has been a force this year and should be a good matchup for the Dragons.

The WNIT bid also serves as a farewell to Keishana Washington, one of the most prolific scorers the program has ever seen.

”This is a great opportunity for our young players to experience [the] postseason [and] continue [to] grow and also for our seniors to lead this group and put their final stamp on the program,” coach Amy Mallon said.

St. Joe’s at Seton Hall (7 p.m. Thursday)

Seton Hall made it to the championship game in the WNIT last year. Though they didn’t get one of the Big East’s five bids to the NCAA Tournament, the Pirates (18-14) should pose a serious threat to the Hawks.

This experience in postseason play will help this St. Joe’s team down the line. After all, this is their first postseason appearance since 2018.

”We had a great season so far,” coach Cindy Griffin said. “But I am looking forward to seeing how far we can go with such a young, talented group.”