WNIT Results, Friday, March 19, 2010

Friday, March 19

Results from the third day of WNIT action:
Toledo 70, Pittsburgh 58
Michigan 69, Kent State 34
East Carolina 78, Drexel 76 OT
Maryland 88, Iona 53
Illinois 68, Western Kentucky 51
Creighton 76, Stephen F. Austin 65
Missouri State 75, Oral Roberts 53
Wyoming 74, Nevada 53

From the WNIT:
The University of Maryland started off what it hopes will be a lengthy postseason run with an 88-53 victory over Iona in first-round action of the Postseason Women’s National Invitation Tournament.

Maryland (20-12), appearing in the postseason for the 24th time in program history, led 44-28 at halftime. The Terrapins will host East Carolina at 2 p.m. Sunday.

East Carolina (23-10) rode a wild finish to earn its Round 2 berth at Maryland. The Lady Pirates climbed back from a big hole in the second half to force overtime with host Drexel (17-14), and then East Carolina prevailed 78-76 to advance.

Toledo (25-8) started strong and kept it going against visiting Pittsburgh, earning a 70-58 victory. Toledo will head to Michigan to play the Wolverines at 2 p.m. EST Sunday. Michigan (18-13) controlled Kent State’s offense on the way to a 69-34 win Friday night.

Illinois took care of business at Western Kentucky with a 68-51 victory. The Illini’s Jenna Smith scored 21 points to become the all-time leading scorer in Illinois history with 2,108 points. Illinois will host Marquette at 5 p.m. ET Monday in a women’s/men’s doubleheader in Champaign.

Missouri State also advanced to Round 2. They defeated Oral Roberts 75-53 and will host Samford at 3:05 p.m. ET Sunday.

Creighton also ensured that its season would continue, as the Bluejays steadied to beat Stephen F. Austin 76-65. Creighton heads to Kansas to play the Jayhawks at 2 p.m. ET Sunday.

In Friday’s late game, Wyoming earned a 74-53 win over Nevada and now will host Texas Tech in Round 2 beginning at 9 p.m. ET Tuesday.