No. 1 Baylor hosts Howard in Preseason WNIT

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Howard Lady Bison at Baylor Lady Bears
6:30 p.m. CT, Ferrell Center, Waco, Texas
TV: None (Baylor All-Access)
Series: 1-0 Baylor
Career Records:
Baylor head coach Kim Mulkey (298-78), 12th season at Baylor
Howard head coach Niki Reid-Geckeler (41-54) 4th season at Howard

The Baylor Lady Bears, the top team in the nation, begin their regular season hosting Howard University in Waco at 6:30 p.m. CT in the 2011 Preseason WNIT tournament. This is the third time for Baylor to host games in preseason tourney. A total of 16 teams are in the event with Chattanooga, ETSU, Howard, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, UAB and UCLA on Baylor’s side of the bracket. Akron, Detroit, Drexel, Hartford, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan and Notre Dame are on the opposite side of the bracket.

The Lady Bears are 4-2 in Preseason WNIT contests, losing in the second round in 1998 to 20th-ranked Florida (70-58) and to 12th-ranked Purdue (69-55) in the 2006 championship game. Since that loss to Purdue, Baylor has won 47 straight non-league home games (including two NCAA Tournament games in 2011).

Howard Preview
Howard finished last season at 16-18. The team was a runner-up in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament. All five starters return off last season’s team. Junior Saadia Doyle, the 2010-11 MEAC Player of the Year and All-MEAC first team selection, led the MEAC in scoring with 18.4 points and was second in the conference with 8.9 rebounds per game. She was recently named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year. The Lady Bison are coached by fourth-year head coach Niki Reid Geckeler (Georgetown, 1993). Reid Geckeler is 41-54 (.432) in her four seasons along the Howard sideline.

Baylor Preview
Including consensus All-American Brittney Griner and Big 12 freshman of the year Odyssey Sims, the Lady Bears have four returning starters. Griner was the only college player on the USA Basketball team that toured Europe in September. She averaged 13 points and 7 rebounds per game.

Up Next
If Baylor wins other possible WNIT dates include Sunday, Nov. 13 (2:00 p.m.), Thursday, Nov. 17 (7:00 p.m., semifinals) and the championship contest on Sunday, Nov. 20 (1:00 p.m.). The Nov. 20 contest would be televised by CBS Sports Network. At the completion of Preseason WNIT action, Baylor will host Yale on Tuesday, Nov. 22 at 6:30 p.m.

WNIT Schedule for Friday November 11
McNeese State (26-7) at UCLA (28-5), 5 p.m. ET
Long Island (19-11) at Drexel (19-13), 7 p.m. ET
UAB (20-15) at Chattanooga (17-14), 7 p.m. ET
Tennessee Tech (23-8) at ETSU (19-12), 7 p.m. ET
Akron (14-16) at Notre Dame (31-8), 7 p.m. ET
Howard (16-18) at Baylor (34-3), 7:30 p.m. ET
Detroit (13-18) at Indiana State (16-16), 8 p.m. ET
Manhattan (24-10) at Hartford (17-16), 8 p.m. ET