NATCHITOCHES—The bracket is out and the Northwestern State women's basketball team travels to the state of Texas for its first WNIT appearance since 1999.

The Demons (16-15) opens its WNIT journey with a trip to Abilene Christian (20-12) to face the Wildcats.

The winner takes on Central Arkansas in the round of 32.

The game is on Thursday at 6 p.m.

Northwestern State last played in the postseason in that 2015-16 season, a 69-54 loss at UL Lafayette in the Women's Basketball Invitational, which eventually won the tournament.

The last time Northwestern State competed in the WNIT was in 1999 after a SLC regular season championship, as the Demons traveled to Arkansas.

This is the fifth trip to the WNIT for the Demons, as they are 6-4 in the previous four appearances.

This is the first meeting against Abilene since 2020, as the Wildcats won that one 84-69 when they were still in the Southland Conference.

It is the first meeting since the Wildcats left the SLC.

Abilene Christian has a 6-2 edge in the series and has won six games in a row, including a 4-0 mark in Abilene.