WNIT first round Wednesday, March 16  |  6 p.m. (Phoenix time)  |  Albuquerque, N.M.
	GRAND CANYON LOPES (22-9)	at	NEW MEXICO LOBOS (24-9)
WATCH: Mountain West Network |  STATS: View

The Grand Canyon women's basketball's chase for a postseason bid landed with the program's first selection to the Women's National Invitation Tournament, which is sending GCU to New Mexico for a first-round matchup in the WNIT's 64-team field.

The Lopes season did not end with Saturday's loss in the WAC Tournament championship game, its second trip to the title game in head coach Molly Miller's two seasons. GCU (22-9) will take the national total steals leader into a Wednesday game against the nation's No. 16 scoring offense of New Mexico (24-9) at 6 p.m. (Phoenix time) in The Pit.

"We have the opportunity to stay on the ride for a little bit longer," Miller said. "We're thrilled about that. I think this team has really come together and bonded as a unit here lately. We're excited that we get the opportunity to showcase our product even longer."

New Mexico went 15-1 at home this season with the 15th-highest attendance in the nation, averaging 4,832 fans per home games.

The Lobos finished second in the Mountain West Conference and averaged 76.3 points per game with a 3-point barrage. They rank sixth nationally, making 9.5 made 3s per game with 5-foot-7 senior twin guards LaTascya and LaTora Duff combining for 4.4 of them per game. New Mexico 6-foot senior power forward Shaiquel McGruder, one of five New Mexico double-digit scorers, ranks sixth in the nation with 61.5% shooting from the field.

The GCU seniors extended their season to pursue the program's first Division I postseason victory by virtue of finishing second in the WAC for an automatic qualification. If the Lopes advance, they would play the winner of Thursday's first-round game between San Diego (16-14) and California Baptist (23-8) in Riverside, California. Second-round games will take place March 19-22.

"They can always say how they left their legacy and that's going to carry though year after year," Miller said of the seniors. "They started this with me so they're always going to have a special place in my heart. We're still going to play hard for them to get a few wins and have a goal of winning the WNIT now."

The Lobos and Lopes will be meeting for the first time.