The ISU women’s basketball team, in its first-ever appearance in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, has a shot Thursday to do something it has never done before — advance to the final four of a nonconference postseason tournament.

The Cyclones will get that opportunity in front of their home crowd as they host Atlantic-10 opponent St. Joseph’s at 6 p.m. in Hilton Coliseum.

Head coach Bill Fennelly said being a part of the WNIT has been a lot of fun for him.

“It’s been great,” Fennelly said. “There’s a lot of negative connotations that go in playing in the NIT to some people, [but to] anyone who is on our team, coaching, our fan base, at least in Ames, this is a big deal. It’s been fun to keep playing, and this is a team that is fun to coach.”

Erica Junod, the lone senior on the team, said playing in the WNIT has been a great experience for her as well.

“It’s a lot of fun,” Junod said. “We’re just excited to be playing in the postseason. [We want to] just keep playing, play hard and see what happens. We were done two or three weeks earlier last season.”

Iowa State (17-14 overall) will match up against a St. Joseph’s team that finished 12-4 in the Atlantic-10.

The Hawks (22-10) are led by Irina Krasnoshiok, who averages 12.8 points per game. Stephanie Graff and Erin Brady average 12.7 and 10.7 points for St. Joe’s, respectively.

“Anyone that has won 22 games is pretty good and obviously, if you’re still playing at any level, you’ve got to be pretty good,” Fennelly said. “They’re very well coached, do what they do very well, very solid on defense, [and they control the] tempo of the game. They’re scoring in the low 60s and giving up in the 50s.”

Fennelly likened his upcoming opponent to a cross between two of the Cyclones’ Big 12 opponents.

“Graff is a good low post player, and they’re a team that is very fundamental on defense,” Fennelly said. “They start four seniors. They’re like a hybrid between a Missouri team that is very experienced — [they’ve] got a good balance inside and out — and a Kansas State team that puts a lot of seniors on the floor.”

Mary Fox, who scored 12 points in Iowa State’s 71-57 win over Miami of Ohio on Friday, said the WNIT has been the only thing on the mind of her fellow Cyclones.

“We want us to be the last person playing in our home gym,” Fox said. “If we come ready on Thursday, we’ll be okay. We’ll be ready for everything.”

The only way the Cyclones will secure a 20-win season is to win the WNIT championship, a dual goal Junod said is in sight.

“I think that’s something that people look at especially in the conference that we play,” Junod said. “I think everyone is very excited about the opportunities that we have here. We’re going to play the best we can, knowing that this could be our last game.”

Iowa State, which ranked ninth nationally in home attendance this season, draws a lot more fans than any of the other WNIT teams. With the men’s team playing Marquette after the women’s game as part of a doubleheader, and tickets for the twin bill sold out, Fennelly is hoping for a big crowd at 6 p.m.

“Our crowds are so much better then everyone else’s,” Fennelly said. “I think it’s not just the players enjoying this, I think the fans are [too].”