Southeast gets first bid for preseason NIT event

After posting its first appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference tournament championship game last season, Southeast Missouri State University was rewarded Thursday with an invitation to compete in the Preseason Women's NIT in November.

The tournament begins November 14 with 16 teams competing. The field includes seven teams from last year's NCAA Tournament, including the Otahkians' first-round opponent, Utah. Southeast will make the trip to Salt Lake City Nov. 14 for its first game.

Southeast, coming off a 19-11 season, will return four starters, including leading scorer Kenja White. White led the team with 13.9 points per game. Second-year coach B.J. Smith's team lost only two seniors from last year's squad.

The Otahkians will face a tall challenge against Utah. The Utes finished 24-7 last season, which included a Mountain West Conference regular-season championship and a first-round victory in the NCAA Tournament. The Utes were also a perfect 13-0 at home last season and held opponents to a national-best 50.6 points per game.

Kim Smith, last year's Mountain West Conference player of the year, and Shona Thorburn, a pair of Canadian sophomores, will lead Utah's group of five returning starters.