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2004 Women's National Invitation Tournament

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2004 Women's National Invitation Tournament
Teams32
Finals siteOmaha Civic Auditorium
Omaha, Nebraska
ChampionsCreighton (1st title)
Runner-upUNLV (1st title game)
Semifinalists
Winning coachJim Flanery (1st title)
MVPChristy Neneman (Creighton)
Attendance4,180 (championship game)
Women's National Invitation Tournaments
«2003 2005»

The 2004 Women's National Invitation Tournament was a single-elimination tournament of 32 NCAA Division I teams that were not selected to participate in the 2004 Women's NCAA tournament. It was the seventh edition of the postseason Women's National Invitation Tournament.

In one semifinal of the tournament, Creighton faced Richmond, played at Omaha Civic Auditorium. The other semifinal game featured UNLV against Iowa State. Creighton defeated Richmond 81–72 behind Dayna Finch's 24 points and a 16 point, 9 rebound and 8 assist performance by Christy Neneman, flirting with a triple double.[1] Meanwhile, UNLV defeated Iowa State 65–59. UNLV was down by double digits 47–37 midway through the second half, but overcame the deficit to take a lead with just under a minute remaining, then hitting five of six free throws in the final 32 seconds to win the game.[2]

The final pitted Creighton and UNLV against each other in Omaha, Nebraska at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. Creighton dominated the title game from the very beginning, outscoring the Lady Rebels early to take a 17–4 lead. UNLV briefly cut the lead to single digits early in the second half but the Blue Jays went on a 10–2 run to retake a commanding lead. They later had a 13–0 run to put the game out of reach and gave the coach the opportunity to play all the bench players.[3]

Bracket

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Region 1

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*Host • Source[4]

March 17–19 March 19–22 March 24–25
         
Pepperdine 59
Washington* 71
Washington* 69
Creighton 74
Colorado State* 68
Creighton 79
Creighton* 74
Oregon State 64
Drake 60
Nebraska* 73
Nebraska* 67
Oregon State 75
Oregon State* 64
Gonzaga 69

Region 2

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*Host • Source[4]

March 17–19 March 19–22 March 24–25
         
Louisville* 61
Western Michigan 63
Western Michigan* 85 OT
Charlotte 83
Charlotte 78
Clemson* 71
Richmond 63
Western Michigan* 57
South Florida 55
Richmond* 63
Richmond* 84
Florida State 77
Florida State 67
South Alabama* 61

Region 3

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*Host • Source[4]

March 17–19 March 19–22 March 24–25
         
Idaho State 59
Iowa State* 72
Iowa State* 71
Miami (Ohio) 57
Miami (Ohio)* 77
Xavier 65
Iowa State* 66
Saint Joseph's 58
George Mason 56
Seton Hall* 61
Seton Hall 61
Saint Joseph's* 68 OT
Kent State 51
Saint Joseph's* 61

Region 4

[edit]

*Host • Source[4]

March 17–19 March 19–22 March 24–25
         
Cincinnati 78
Western Kentucky* 80 OT
Western Kentucky* 104
Memphis 87
Tulsa 64
Memphis* 66
Western Kentucky 75
UNLV* 78
Rice 59
Arkansas State* 52
Rice 66
UNLV* 68
Arizona State 47
UNLV* 50

Semifinals and championship game

[edit]

Source[1][3]

WNIT Semifinals
March 26–28
WNIT Championship Game
March 31, 2005
      
Creighton* 81
Richmond 72
Creighton* 73
UNLV 52
UNLV 65
Iowa State* 59

References

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  1. ^ a b "Jays Advance to WNIT Championship With 81-72 Victory Over Richmond". Creighton University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  2. ^ "UNLV vs. Iowa State - Game Recap - March 28, 2004 - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2021-04-24.[dead link]
  3. ^ a b "Bluejay Women Run Away With WNIT Title, 73-52". Creighton University Athletics. Retrieved 2021-04-24.
  4. ^ a b c d "2004 Postseason Bracket (PDF) - WNIT Pre and Post Tournament" (PDF). womensnit.com. Retrieved 2021-04-24.