MORGANTOWN, W.Va.  – The West Virginia women's basketball will start the 2018 Postseason WNIT on Thursday when the Mountaineers welcome Bucknell to the WVU Coliseum in a first-round matchup. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. EST.
 
General admission tickets are available at a cost of $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.
 
Dan Zangrilli and Ayana Dunning will have the call for the Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG. Fans in the Morgantown area can catch the action on Jack-FM 100.9 as well as various affiliates across the state. The WVU Gameday App, TuneIn and WVUsports.com will also carry the broadcast, with a free web stream available at WVUsports.com.
 
West Virginia will make its 12th straight postseason appearance this year, competing in the WNIT for the fifth time. The Mountaineers enter the contest with an 11-5 record in the WNIT and a 10-3 mark in the tournament under coach Mike Carey. The team's most recent showing the tournament came in 2015, when the Mountaineers fell to UCLA, 62-60, in the WNIT title game in Charleston, West Virginia.
 
WVU and Bucknell will square off four the fourth time in program history, with WVU looking to extend a 3-0 series lead. The last meeting between the two came in December of 2011. Coincidentally, Dunning, who serves as WVU's Coordinator of Player Development, led the Mountaineers with a team-best 15 points and eight rebounds in the contest. Current assistant coach Christal Caldwell had nine points in the 72-30 win.
 
"They went to the NCAA Tournament last year," coach Mike Carey said. "They're a good team; an experienced team. They have a lot of players back from last year. They have some post players we're concerned about and they have a really quick point guard. We'll have to be ready to play."
 
Both teams are coming off a semifinal loss in their respective league tournaments. West Virginia most recently fell to No. 8 Texas, 68-55, in the Big 12 Semifinals on March 4 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Four Mountaineers scored in double figures, led by junior guard/forward Naomi Davenport's 17 points. Senior forward Kristina King added 12 points, while senior guard Chania Ray and junior guard Katrina Pardee added 10 each. The Mountaineers shot 32 percent from the field and just 8.7 percent from beyond the arc – a season-low.
 
Senior forward Teana Muldrow is set to become the program's all-time leader in games played when she takes the court on Thursday for her 139th career contest at WVU. She is currently tied with former teammate Bria Holmes for first place with 138. The East Orange, New Jersey, native will graduate ranked inside WVU's all-time top 10 in scoring, rebounding, field goals made, blocked shots and double-doubles, among other categories. She is currently one of five national finalists for the 2018 Cheryl Miller Award, presented to the nation's best small forward. Fans can vote daily for the winner at WVUsports.com/Teana.
 
Bucknell enters the first round of the WNIT with a 22-9 overall record. The Bison are coming off a 68-62 loss to Navy in the Patriot League Semifinals after going 15-3 in league play in the regular season. The Bison are averaging 63.6 points and 39.7 rebounds per game this year and are shooting 41.4 percent from the field, 30.5 percent from beyond the arc and 74.4 percent at the charity stripe.
 
Guard Kate Walker, guard Rachel Dumiak, guard Kyi English, forward Kaitlyn Slagus and forward Catherine Romaine are the probable starters for the Bison. Walker leads the scoring at 12.9 points per game and averages 1.2 steals per game. Slagus is the rebounding leader with 9.0 boards per game, nearly averaging a double-double with 12.6 points per game as well. English, who hails from East Orange, New Jersey, like Muldrow, rounds out the players in double figures with 10.1 points per game.
 
The winner of Thursday's contest will face St. Joseph's or Seton Hall in the second round at a date and time to be determined.