California Baptist University
North Dakota
CBU Set To Continue Season at Women’s Basketball Invitational
3/13/2023 8:28:00 AM | Women's Basketball
RIVERSIDE – California Baptist University has accepted an invitation to participate in the Women's Basketball Invitational in Lexington, Kentucky. The tournament will host eight teams from across the country in a three-day tournament to crown the 2023 WBI champions. Play begins on March 17, and every team is guaranteed three games to be played consecutively on the 18th and 19th.
The Lancers will begin on Friday, March 17, at 5:00 p.m. Eastern (2:00 p.m. Pacific), facing a first-time foe in the University of North Dakota. The Fighting Hawks finished the regular season in third place in the Summit League with an 11-7 conference record to go with an 18-11 regular season tally. They were upset in the quarterfinals of the Summit League tournament by sixth-seeded Omaha, 84-81.
The Hawks closed the regular season by winning six of their final seven games. UND and CBU have one common opponent on the year as the Hawks battled Grand Canyon to a 73-60 Lopes victory. The Hawks couldn't pull out the win, but they clearly got to the Lopes, forcing GCU into 21 turnovers, the fifth-most that GCU gave up all season.
The Hawks have a big-time offensive threat in Kacie Borowicz, a 5-9 senior averaging 20.7 points per game. She owns the 14th-highest ppg average in Division I this seasn and is doing it efficiently on 42.1% shooting from the field. Aside from accounting for 27.8% of the Hawks' offense by herself in 2022-23, she also led the team, and the conference, in assists per game at 4.79.
Depending on the first-round results, the Lancers will play on Saturday against Georgia Southern or Northern Illinois. Third-round matchups are any of four possible teams, including one familiar opponent. CBU could face either East Tennessee State, Florida International, the University of Chicago Illinois, or long-time WAC foe New Mexico State.
The WBI began in 2010, crowning prior winners such as Appalachian State (twice), UAB, Minnesota, Rice, and Yale.
