MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  – The West Virginia women's basketball team earned an at-large bid to the Women's National Invitation Tournament and will host Bucknell in on Thursday in the first round of the 2018 Postseason WNIT, as announced by the selection committee on Monday.
 
The game time will be announced on Tuesday.
 
General admission tickets will go on sale Tuesday morning at 9 a.m. Tickets to Thursday's contest are $5 dollars, while youth tickets are $3. Carey's Crew members receive free admission courtesy of United Bank, while students are also free. A valid student ID or Carey's Crew membership card must be shown to receive the free ticket. A discounted group rate of $2 is available but must be purchased in advance. To purchase tickets, visit WVUGAME.com or call 1-800-WVU GAME.
 
Season ticket holders can purchase their same reserved seats by calling the Mountaineer Ticket Office at 1-800-WVU GAME by 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 14.
 
The Mountaineers will make their fifth appearances in the WNIT and their first since 2015. That season, WVU suffered a 62-60 loss to UCLA in the WNIT title game at the Charleston Civic Center in Charleston, West Virginia. It marked West Virginia's second appearance in the WNIT Championship game, as the Mountaineers fell to Southwest Missouri State (now referred to as Missouri State) by a score of 78-70 in the 2005 title game in Morgantown.
 
West Virginia will make its 12th straight postseason appearance in 2018 and it's 17th overall. Fourteen of the program's postseason appearances, including nine NCAA appearances, have come under coach Mike Carey. The Mountaineers enter the 2018 WNIT with an 11-5 overall mark in the tournament and a 10-3 record during Carey's tenure.
 
The Mountaineers enter the postseason with a 21-11 mark overall and an 8-10 record in league play. All-Big 12 First Team honoree Teana Muldrow leads the way with 18.9 points and 8.7 rebounds per game, ranking among the top five in the league in both categories. Junior guard/forward Naomi Davenport, an All-Big 12 Second Team honoree, is averaging 16.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game in her first season with the Mountaineers. Senior guard Chania Ray has posted 5.3 assists and 10.1 points per game thus far, earning All-Big 12 Honorable Mention.
 
Bucknell went 22-9 overall and 15-3 in the Patriot League, falling to Navy in the Patriot League semifinals by a score of 68-62. Junior guard Kate Walker averages a team-best 12.9 points per game, followed closely by junior forward Kaitlyn Slaugus at 12.6 points per game.
 
Thursday will be the fourth all-time meeting between the Mountaineers and the Bison. WVU leads the series, 3-0, and is 2-0 against Bucknell at the WVU Coliseum. The two have not met since Dec. 28, 2011, when West Virginia claimed a 72-30 win.
 
The winner will advance to face either Seton Hall or Saint Joseph's in the second round.