Bakersfield to Face Saint Mary's in First Round of WNIT Friday 3/18/2014 12:00:00 AM Bakersfield to Face Saint Mary's in First Round of WNIT Friday Bakersfield earned its first-ever berth to the Women's National Invitation Tournament and will travel to Saint Mary's for the opening round of the 64-team tournament at 6 p.m. (PT) this Friday, March 21.The Roadrunners earned the WAC's automatic qualifier for the WNIT following their second-place finish in the WAC regular-season standings. This will be the Roadrunners' third appearance in the postseason following two appearances in the WBI, the last coming in 2011.Bakersfield, which finished the season 19-11, won its quarterfinal game in the WAC Tournament by defeating Utah Valley 65-63 in overtime before falling in the semifinals to Seattle U, 84-79. The Roadrunners are led by first team All-WAC and All-Defensive Team selection Tyonna Outland, who averages 20.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Melissa Sweat adds 14.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game and was named second team All-WAC and to the WAC All-Newcomer Team. Saint Mary's enters the WNIT with a 22-9 mark. The Gaels rallied to defeat San Diego in the West Coast Conference quarterfinals, then lost to No.18 Gonzaga in the semifinals. Saint Mary's is led by Jackie Nared and Danielle Mauldin, both of whom were named All-WCC first team. Nared averages 21.8 points and 7.4 rebounds per game, while Mauldin averages 17.5 points and 13.3 rebounds per game.The complete bracket can be found by clicking here.