NORFOLK, Va. – The Norfolk State women's basketball team will face Drexel at 6 p.m. on Thursday, March 17 in the Women's National Invitation Tournament (WNIT) first round. The WNIT released the full bracket and first-round host sites on Monday afternoon.

Drexel (26-5, 16-2 CAA) dominated the Colonial Athletic Association during the regular season, losing to Delaware 63-59 in the conference championship game.

The Spartans earned their spot in the 64-team WNIT field as the Mid=Eastern Athletic Conference's (MEAC) automatic qualifier. The announcement marks the team's first national postseason selection since 2001 and first-ever appearance in the WNIT.

The selection extends an already historic season for Norfolk State. The Spartans went 15-10 in the regular season, posting an 11-3 conference record that earned the squad its first-ever share of the MEAC regular-season title. The Spartans advanced all the way to the MEAC championship game by defeating No. 7 seed North Carolina Central in the quarterfinal and No. 3 Morgan State in the semifinal.