Phoenix women win first-round game in WBI basketball tourney

Elon's women's hoops team defeated Eastern Kentucky 68-61

Kelsey Evans drives to the basket in SoCon Tournament play against Davidson.

After an impressive 18-13 season that included program-best 14-6 record in the Southern Conference and an appearance in the conference tournament semifinals, the Elon women’s basketball team won its first-round game in the 2013 Women’s Basketball Invitational.

Fourth-seeded Elon defeated fifth-seeded Eastern Kentucky 68-61 on Wednesday, March 20. The Phoenix will now take on the winner of Thursday’s Mercer/McNeese State game. The day, time and location of that game will be announced later.

This marks Elon’s second appearance in the WBI after making its first Division I post-season appearance in the tournament in 2011. Elon was given a No. 3 seed and a first-round home matchup against sixth-seeded USC Upstate. The maroon and gold claimed a 103-72 win over the Spartans before falling to eventual WBI champion UAB in the quarterfinals.

The WBI is a 16-team, single elimination tournament that was created in 2010 to address additional post-season opportunities for women’s college teams who did not make the NCAA tournament field. The WBI tournament bracket is an East/West format with each side seeded 1-8. The semifinals, or third round, will be played March 27/28 with the 2013 WBI Championship game set for March 30 or 31.