Completed Event: Women's Basketball at Eastern Kentucky on March 19, 2026 , Loss , 58, to, 72
Final Score
Women's Basketball
58
at Eastern Kentucky
72
The University of Utah Athletics
Utes Host Southeast Missouri State in Preseason WNIT
6/27/2003 12:00 AM | Women's Basketball
June 27, 2003
SALT LAKE CITY -
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The 16-team field for the 2003 Preseason Women's National Invitation Tournament was announced Thursday, pairing Utah against Southeast Missouri State in first round action.
The Utes, who went undefeated at home last year, open the 2003-04 season vs. the Otahks on Friday, Nov. 14, at the Jon M. Huntsman Center, where Utah is currently riding a 16-game winning streak. It will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
The winner will advance to meet either Santa Barbara or San Diego on Monday, Nov. 17. All WNIT contests will be held at home sites, which are determined following each round. The championship game is slated for Sunday, Nov. 23.
The prestigious tournament, now in its 10th year, features seven teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last season: Cincinnati, Liberty, Rutgers, Santa Barbara, Texas Tech, Utah and Western Kentucky.
A team may participate in the WNIT no more than once in a four-year period. Additionally, only one institution per conference may play in the tournament in the same year.
The 2002-03 Utes exceeded all expectations. With just one starter returning from the previous year's squad and no seniors, Utah was picked to finish fourth in the Mountain West Conference. The Utes, however, had other plans. Utah clinched the regular season title with two games remaining and posted three more conference wins than the second-place team. The Utes also advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, where they fell to No. 1 Duke in a hard-fought, closely-played game.
Utah returns all of its starters from last year's squad, including MWC Player and Newcomer of the Year Kim Smith. All-conference players Shona Thorburn and Carley Marshall also return.
Southeast Missouri State went 19-11 overall and 11-5 in the Ohio Valley Conference. The Otahks advanced to the finals of the OVC Tournament for the first time ever, where they fell to Austin Peay.
This is Utah's second appearance in the preseason WNIT. In 1995, the Utes defeated Oregon 73-61 in the first round, before falling 63-61 in overtime to Colorado, the eventual tournament champion.
In last year's Preseason WNIT, No. 4-ranked Kansas State captured the title with an 88-66 victory over No. 14 Penn State. Kansas State went on to a 29-5 season, setting school records for victories.
More detailed Preseason WNIT information, including tournament records and results, can be found online at www.womensnit.com.
Players Mentioned
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