LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Biola University's women's basketball team makes its second-straight NAIA appearance next week, opening the 2010 NAIA Division I Women's Basketball National Tournament against No. 13 Lewis-Clark State College (Idaho) at Noon (CT) Wednesday at the Oman Arena in Jackson, Tenn.

The Eagles, who finished the 2009-10 regular season with a 20-11 overall record, earned an at-large berth after finishing fourth in the Golden State Athletic Conference.

Their first-round match-up pits the Eagles against the Warriors of Lewis-Clark State, who finished the season at 28-5, earning an automatic berth as the Frontier Conference Tournament champions. The Warriors are making their 14th appearance in the tournament and have a 14-13 overall record.

Biola has won all six previous meetings between the two school including a 76-65 victory over the Warriors at home last season.

The winner of the game will have its hands full in the second-round, taking on the winner of the game between No. 6 Oklahoma City University--a No. 1 seed in its quarter of the bracket--and unranked Shorter College. The second-round game will take place on Friday at 10:45 a.m.

"Lewis-Clark State is a familiar opponent which we had the chance to face last year," said Head Coach Ken Crawford. "The Warriors play a very physical, rugged style and should provide a good first-round matchup for us. We have a lot of respect for their program and for Coach Brian Orr as they are one of the dominant teams in their league."

Biola, which is making its fifth trip to the NAIA National Tournament, finished fourth in the toughest conference in the NAIA: the Golden State Athletic Conference. The Eagles were 14-6 in the GSAC--their best record since joining the conference in 1994-95. Biola's back-to-back 20-win seasons were the first in 20 years and the fifth overall.

The Eagles picked up their first NAIA Tournament victory last season, beating Trevecca Nazarene (Tenn.) 65-57 after losing in the first round it their previous three tourney trips. Biola lost its second-round game to Lee University (Tenn.) 96-75.

The Eagles are led by All-GSAC forward Jessilyn Conicelli. Conicelli ranked in the top 12 in 10 offensive categories in the GSAC and recorded 13 double-doubles. In fact, she was the only player in the conference and one of just 11 in the NAIA to average a double-double on the season with 16.5 points and 10.3 rebounds per game.

"We are excited to get the chance to play in the tournament for the second-straight year," said Crawford. "It was such a great experience for our kids last year. The community does a fantastic job of rallying around the NAIA and all of the teams, making it a such a huge success.

"The tournament itself is a great opportunity to be around some of the best basketball teams in the country," said Crawford. "We look forward to the competition."