Bowling Green, Ky. - The 2009-10 season continues for the Western Kentucky University women's basketball team as it will host Illinois on Friday in the first round of the 2010 Women's National Invitation Tournament. Game time is tentatively set for 7 p.m. (CDT), but will be made official on Tuesday.

The winner of Friday's first-round game will advance to face either Marquette or Eastern Illinois. Those two teams will face off Thursday in Milwaukee. Location and date for the second-round games are still to be determined.

The Lady Toppers earned the Sun Belt Conference's automatic bid to the WNIT after both Middle Tennessee and UALR were part of the field of 64 to the 2010 NCAA Tournament. For WKU, this is the 25th trip to the postseason in the last 27 seasons, and the ninth appearance in the WNIT over the span. This will be the second time WKU and Illinois have faced off in the postseason. The Fighting Illini picked up a 91-84 win over the Lady Toppers in the first round of the 2002 WNIT in Champaign, Ill.

In all, WKU holds a 2-1 advantage in the series, picking up victories in Bowling Green on Nov. 26, 1989 and in Champaign on Dec. 1, 1990.

The Lady Toppers enter Friday's game with a 21-10 overall record, and winners of 14 of their last 17 games. Illinois comes in with a 16-14 mark, and finished in a tie for eight in the Big Ten standings with a 7-11 league mark.

WKU has advanced to the semifinals in each of its last two trips to the WNIT (2006 and 2007), and has won eight of its last 11 games in the event. This will be the first time the tournament has consisted of a 64-team field.

Tickets for Friday's game will go on sale Tuesday (March 16) at 10 a.m. either in person at the WKU Athletic Ticket Office or via telephone at 1-800-5 BIG RED. Season ticket holders will have until noon on Friday to get the same seats as there season tickets. Prices are set at $13 for Red Towel and chairback seats, $10 for reserved bleacher seats, $6 for youth tickets and $5 for students.