In the opening round of the Women’s Basketball Invitational, the Weber State University Wildcats went head-to-head with the Texas Southern University Lady Tigers.

The Wildcats took the road victory 66–56 over their opponents from the Southwestern Athletic Conference. This was the first postseason opportunity for the women’s basketball team since the 2015–16 season when they also went to the WBI.

“In tournament time it’s do or die for both teams,” head coach Bethann Ord said.

The teams were balanced through the first quarter with TSU taking a 16–13 lead into the second quarter. The second quarter was a story of runs on both sides. The Tigers had a 7–0 run sandwiched between a 5–0 run and a 12–0 run by the Wildcats.

The final run put WSU ahead 36–31 at halftime, with senior Larryn Brooks leading the team with 20 points in the half. The second half was all Weber State, as they held the Tigers to only eight points in the fourth quarter, giving them the 66–56 lead they held at the final buzzer.

The 66 points were the fewest the Wildcats had in a win since Feb. 1 against Southern Utah University. WSU had only two players reach double-digit scoring in the game, Brooks ended with 26 and junior Emily Drake finished the game with 10 points.

Junior Jaiamoni Welch-Coleman was the team leader in assists, picking up nine, which was also a new career high. Welch-Coleman and Drake were the team leaders in rebounds, each grabbing six boards. The team combined for seven assists with senior Kailie Quinn and Welch-Coleman each picking the Tigers’ pockets twice.

“Texas Southern did a great job battling to the end,” Ord said. “We live to play another day.”

The next game for Weber State will be on March 19 when they travel to Conway, Arkansas to take on the University of Central Arkansas Sugar Bears. The Sugar Bears advanced after defeating Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in the WBI first round.

Streaming information will be updated on womensbasketballinvitational.com on the day of the game.