Hatters Face South Alabama in WBI First Round

WBI FIRST ROUND | STETSON (17-14) at SOUTH ALABAMA (19-12)
WHEN | Thursday, 8:00 p.m. ET
WHERE | Mitchell Center, Mobile, Ala.
WATCH | JagNationTV.com
LIVE STATS | StetsonStats.com
GAME NOTES | Stetson (PDF)
BRACKET | WBI Bracket

The Stetson Hatters (17-14) will travel to Mobile, Ala. to face the South Alabama Jaguars (19-12) in the first round of the Women's Basketball Invitational (WBI) Thursday night. Tip-off at the Mitchell Center is scheduled for 8 p.m. ET with a free video webstream at JagNationTV.com.

Stetson will be making its eighth consecutive appearance in the postseason.

"If I had pick one thing that stands out about our success through the years it would be playing in the postseason," head coach Lynn Bria said. "Obviously, we all want to get to the NCAA Tournament, but playing in the WNIT, the WBI, or any tournament is great because you still get to practice, where not everyone else is. It builds your team, and it builds confidence."

The WBI is a 16-team single elimination tournament with all games hosted on campus sites. The winner of Thursday's game will advance to face the UNC Asheville-Furman winner sometime Sunday or Monday at a site to be determined.

"All these teams in the postseason tournaments are good teams," Bria said. "Nobody has a losing record. These games give you more experience and allows your young players to experience postseason play, which I think is fun."

Stetson enters Thursday's game with a 17-14 overall record after going 8-6 in the ASUN. First-team all-conference selection Brittney Chambers leads the team in scoring (16.4 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). She has scored nine points or more in all 31 games.

Second-team all-conference performer McKenna Beach averages 12.6 points and 3.8 assists per game. She has hit a team-high 48 3-pointers on the season. All-freshman team selection Michelle Pruitt averages 7.8 points and 5.0 rebounds while leading the ASUN in field goal pct. (.552).

South Alabama (19-12) went 11-7 in the Sun Belt Conference and 1-1 in the SBC tournament. Chyna Ellis leads the Jaguars in scoring (13.9 ppg) and rebounding (8.6 rpg).

"They are a very athletic team," Bria said about South Alabama. "They have done well in their league and have done a great job of building that program. They are post oriented, but they also have some guards who can shoot it, so they are very balanced. Their defense is really good. It is going to be a great game for us to play."

Thursday will mark the sixth all-time meeting between the two schools, and the first meeting in 10 seasons. The Jaguars lead the series 5-0.

In addition to the live broadcast, live stats, the Stetson women's basketball twitter feed (@StetsonWBB), and the HatCheck text messaging system will have live updates as well.

Notes:

Stetson is 1-1 all-time in the WBI. The Hatters are making their second appearance (2016).
Michelle Pruitt has scored in double figures in 10 straight games.
McKenna Beach needs 24 minutes played to break the school single-season record
Brittney Chambers needs one point for 900 in her Stetson career
Megan Vincent needs two blocks for 50 on the season

About Stetson University Athletics: Stetson University's Athletics Program has a vision of developing a culture of champions athletically, academically and within the community. This vision is accomplished through a mission of recruiting and developing student-athletes, coaches and staff, creating a culture of champions, within and outside of competition. The department operates with five core values: Championship Culture, Integrity, Excellence, Pride/Tradition and Leadership. To learn more about the Vision, Mission and Core Values for Stetson Athletics, visit GoHatters.com and click on Mission Statement under the Inside Athletics tab.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#2 McKenna Beach: G; 5' 6"; Junior

#30 Brittney Chambers: G; 5' 6"; Senior

#23 Megan Vincent: F; 6' 4"; Freshman

#33 Michelle Pruitt: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#2 McKenna Beach
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

#30 Brittney Chambers
: 5' 6"; Senior
: G

#23 Megan Vincent
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: F

#33 Michelle Pruitt
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F

Stetson University Athletics

Scoreboard

Tickets, donate, shop

Hatters Face South Alabama in WBI First Round

Players Mentioned

#2 McKenna Beach

#30 Brittney Chambers

#23 Megan Vincent

#33 Michelle Pruitt

Players Mentioned

#2 McKenna Beach

#30 Brittney Chambers

#23 Megan Vincent

#33 Michelle Pruitt