Women's basketball teams finally will be paid for playing games in the NCAA Tournament each March just like the men have for years under a plan approved Wednesday at the NCAA convention. The unanimous vote by NCAA membership was met by a round of applause both inside the ballroom and around the sport.

The association needs a new governance structure to accommodate the more professionalized parts of the NCAA’s membership.

For the first time, women’s basketball teams will earn NCAA Tournament performance pay, mirroring a system long in place for men’s teams.