The wait was a bit stressful, but it had a good outcome for Miami University’s women’s basketball team.

The RedHawks got bounced out of the Mid-American Conference tournament in Cleveland last Wednesday, then found out late Monday that they’re going to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament for the second straight year.

“The WNIT is a very respected tournament, and I’m excited that this team gets another chance,” said MU coach Maria Fantanarosa, whose squad will travel to Illinois on Thursday at 8 p.m. “When you look at our body of work throughout the whole year, this is a very talented team who deserves a second chance.”

Seniors Courtney Osborn and Kirsten Olowinski have another opportunity to play in a Miami uniform, and both were smiling about that fact Tuesday.

“There was a little nervousness there, but Maria kept telling us how confident she was,” Osborn said. “My hopes were riding on Maria’s confidence.”

“Excitement is definitely the first word that comes. Anxiousness also comes to mind,” Olowinski said. “This is kind of the final run. I think I can speak for both of us when I say we’re not going down without a fight. I’m excited for it. At the same time, it’s going to be bittersweet at the end. So hopefully we’ll just push through and get as far as we can.”

The RedHawks (19-12) will be looking for a better result than last season, a 76-54 defeat at Richmond, when they head for Champaign, Ill. That’s Big Ten country, and the Fighting Illini (16-13) were 9-7 in conference play this year.

Illinois ranks in the nation’s top 40 in scoring with a 70.0 average. Four players are averaging in twin digits, led by 6-foot-2 senior forward Karisma Penn (19.0 ppg, 9.7 rpg) and senior guard Adrienne GodBold (17.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg).

“Illinois is a very athletic team,” Fantanarosa said. “They’re known for a zone extended defense. They call it the Buzz. They’re playing passing lanes. They want to create turnovers and easy opportunities for them in transition. We need to sharpen our defense, and we need to box out. The tempo is going to be very important.”

She was hoping to have forwards Erica Almady (concussion) and Kristin Judson (foot) back from injuries this week, but the MU coach said they’re both questionable for Thursday’s game.

Osborn is averaging 19.1 points and 4.8 assists per contest for the RedHawks, and Olowinski is getting 12.2 points and 10.4 boards per game. Almady has the team’s best field-goal percentage (55.4) and is averaging 8.0 points and 4.5 rebounds.

MU is coming off a disappointing 82-70 loss to Buffalo at the MAC tourney.

“My postgame was shorter than normal,” Fantanarosa said. “It was just, ‘This is what it is. We’re going to have these days off and we’re going to practice again Sunday because we’re a very good team and we’ll have an opportunity to prove that we’re better than we were today.’

“We can play like we have nothing to lose. The pressure is on Illinois. This should be an opportunity to put the icing on the cake. It’s a solid season. Now how much more can we do?”

Osborn, who had some recruiting contact with the Illini under a different coaching staff, is eager to play a Big Ten opponent.

“We don’t get to play a lot of the Power 6 conferences,” she said. “It’s a great shot for us as a mid-major to be able to go and prove ourselves against a Big Ten school.”

This will be Miami’s third appearance in WNIT. The RedHawks split two games in 2003-04, beating Xavier 77-65 and losing to Iowa State 71-57.

Illinois had hopes of being an NCAA team, but lasted just one game in the Big Ten tournament. Wisconsin, the No. 11 seed, ousted the sixth-seeded Illini with a 58-57 decision.

“It feels good to be somewhere,” said GodBold, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. “I think the energy is here right now. We’re going to go to the NIT and make a statement.”

Illinois coach Matt Bollant called MU “a very skilled team. They shoot the ball extremely well. (They have) one really great player, one of the best guards in the country, in Osborn.”

This series is tied 2-2. The Illini won the last meeting 65-63 on Dec. 19, 1994, in Champaign.

Illinois is averaging 2,026 fans and has a 9-7 record at Assembly Hall this season.