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FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Missouri State women's basketball team will be returning to the postseason for the first time since 2012 after receiving an at-large bid to the 2015 Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) Monday evening. To kick off the 19th postseason tournament trip in school history, the Lady Bears will host Tulsa at JQH Arena at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 20.

"I'm excited to continue our season in the WNIT," said second-year head coach Kellie Harper. "Our team has been on a terrific journey this year and earned the right to play in the postseason."

Missouri State (18-14, 13-5 Missouri Valley Conference) finished third in the MVC and advanced to the championship game of the league tournament. The Lady Bears posted a 10-game winning streak leading up to the final, and are 18-8 since the beginning of December.

Tulsa went 17-13 overall and 12-6 in the American Athletic Conference, earning the league's automatic bid as the highest finisher to not qualify for the NCAA Tournament. The Golden Hurricane tied Temple for third in the league, and are led by junior guard Ashley Clark, the AAC Sixth Player of the Year.

Missouri State holds an 8-6 series lead over TU, the last meeting an 88-73 MSU win in JQH Arena on Dec. 8, 2009.

Tickets to Friday's first-round game will go on sale Tuesday (March 17) at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at the JQH Arena box office or by calling (417) 836-7678. On-line sales at www.MissouriStateBears.com/tickets will be available shortly thereafter.

Current season ticket holders will have until 5 p.m. Wednesday (March 18) to claim their seats before they are made available for public purchase. Season ticket holders wishing to purchase their same seats must do so by calling 417-836-7678 or by purchasing in person at the JQH Arena ticket office. Individual ticket prices for all WNIT games at JQH Arena are $10 for reserved seats in the lower level and reserved disabled seats, $6 for bleacher seats, $4 for MSU students and $25 for suites, loge and courtside seats.

The Lady Bears will be making their sixth WNIT appearance, and own a 10-4 record in the event, with 13 of those games taking place in Springfield. MSU dropped an overtime decision to Eastern Kentucky in the opening round of the 2002 meet, then swept the WNIT field with five straight victories in 2005 to claim their first national tournament title.

In 2010, the Lady Bears knocked off Oral Roberts and Samford before falling to Illinois in the third round at JQH Arena, and defeated Rice before falling to Arkansas in the second round in 2011. In 2012, MSU defeated UMKC and Memphis at JQH Arena before losing at eventual champion Oklahoma State in the third round.

The 64-team, single-elimination WNIT consists of 32 automatic berths and 32 at-large selections, with all games played at host school sites. An automatic bid is offered to each established Division I conference to the team that finished highest during the regular season and did not receive a bid to the NCAA Tournament. The 32 at-large bids are filled by the available at-large teams in the nation, as determined by the selection committee, regardless of conference or geographical location.

Dates for the 2015 WNIT include first-round games on March 18-20, second-round contests on March 21-24, third-round match-ups on March 25-27, quarterfinal games on March 28-30, semifinal pairings on April 1-2, and the championship game on April 4 to air live on CBS Sports Network. For more information, including a complete listing of game times and dates for the 2015 WNIT, visit the website at www.womensnit.com.