MISSOULA — The Montana State women's basketball team isn't done yet.
The Bobcats, who lost to Idaho in the Big Sky Conference tournament championship last Wednesday, are in the 48-team field for the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT), the tournament announced Sunday.
As the No. 2 seed in the Big Sky, Montana State automatically qualified for the WNIT after not being selected for the more-prestigious NCAA Tournament or Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament (WBIT). Idaho, by virtue of its championship win over the Bobcats, received the Big Sky's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament and earned a No. 13 seed. The Vandals will play fourth-seeded Oklahoma on Friday.
Northern Colorado, which was the third seed in the Big Sky, will join Montana State in the WNIT.
The Bobcats, led by Big Sky MVP and defensive player of the year Taylee Chirrick, are 25-7 this season. They posted impressive nonconference wins over Portland, UNLV and Colorado in December before going 16-2 in Big Sky play. Montana State is 13-0 at home this season.
MSU was the No. 2 seed for the Big Sky tournament. The Bobcats defeated rival Montana 78-57 in a second-round game and Eastern Washington 79-77 in overtime in the semifinals to advance to the title game against Idaho. The Vandals won the championship game 60-57.
The WNIT will release its full bracket on Monday with matchups, locations and start times for the opening round. The first-round games will take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
