Roos Selected for WNIT; Travel to Northern Iowa for First Round
3/14/2022 1:39:00 PM | Women's Basketball
KC was selected for its second WNIT bid and will travel to Cedar Falls on Thursday for first round action
FORT COLLINS, Co. - Kansas City Women's Basketball's historic season will continue with a selection into the Postseason WNIT, as was announced yesterday evening. The Roos will travel to Cedar Falls, Iowa on Thursday as they take on Northern Iowa in the first round at 6 p.m.
"We are thrilled that we get to continue our season in the WNIT," Head Coach Jacie Hoyt said. "The journey with this team has been incredibly fun, and we are hungry to play together again and make it last as long as possible."
It is the Roos' second-ever selection into the WNIT, the first since 2011-12. Kansas City will be searching for its first-ever win in the WNIT, as the 2011-12 run came to a close with a 81-79 first round loss at Missouri State.
Kansas City will look to extend one of the best seasons in program history, as the Roos' 23 wins are just one behind the 1991-92 squad for the most all-time. The Roos put together an early season 10-game win streak and a separate nine-game win streak in conference play to establish themselves as one of the top teams in mid-major basketball. Now, they will get a chance to solidify that title as they take on top competition in the WNIT.
This is the second-career postseason selection for Hoyt, who led KC to its first-ever NCAA Tournament bid in the 2019-20 season. Currently sitting at 81 career wins, she has become just the second coach in program history to reach the 80-win plateau. Brian Agler is the only other coach to reach that mark, piecing together 85 wins from 1988-93.
The Roos are led by Naomie Alnatas, a two-time Summit League First Team member and 2022 Summit League All-Tournament Team member. Alnatas ranks first in the conference in assists per game, and is top-ten in assist-to-turnover, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, points per game, steals per game and three-pointers per game. She is also one of just 27 players in Division One to notch a triple-double this year.
Kansas City's senior leadership runs deep, with fellow Summit League First Teamer Brooklyn McDavid also heading up the Roos offensive attack, averaging 15.7 points per game on 50.4% field goal shooting. Seniors Paige Bradford, Kiara Bradley and Mandy Willems round out the Roos' starting five, with all three ranking top-ten in the Summit in at least one statistical category.
KC will take the next three days to prepare for the Panthers. Tickets for the game will be available at a later time on the Northern Iowa website.
