Southern Illinoise University Athletics
Women's Basketball Announces 2016-17 Non-Conference Schedule
07/26/2016 | 4:24:00 | Women's Basketball
CARBONDALE, Ill. – A year after playing postseason basketball for the first time since 2007, the 2016-17 Southern Illinois women's basketball team will have plenty of chances early on to build its resume against top competition. The Salukis will play an 11-game non-conference schedule that features five teams that made the postseason a year ago.
Southern returns eight letterwinners from a season ago, including leading scorer and first-team All-MVC selection Rishonda Napier. Of the eight who return, three are sophomores and only one of those three appeared in more than 10 games a year ago. With five freshmen joining the mix as well, the Salukis and fourth-year head coach Cindy Stein will play a tough non-conference schedule in the hopes that the lessons learned early will pay dividends come time for Missouri Valley Conference play.
"This is the toughest non-conference schedule we have had since I became SIU's head coach," Stein said. "It is designed to teach a young team how to compete at a high level, especially on the road. Our team toughness and chemistry are vital to our success in the Valley. We accept the challenge and look forward to the year."
Following two home exhibition games against Williams Woods College and MacMurray College, the Salukis open the regular season on the road at Oklahoma on Nov. 13. The Sooners were 22-11 last season, losing in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Southern opens its home season on Nov. 17 when it hosts Murray State at the SIU Arena. Last season, the Salukis defeated the Racers, 70-57. SIU goes back on the road for two more games, traveling to Purdue on Nov. 20, followed by a trip to Edwardsville to take on SIUE on Nov. 23. The Boilermakers advanced to the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, where they lost to Sooners.
The Salukis will then return home to tangle with Brescia University on Nov. 26, before traveling to take on UT Martin on Nov. 29. The Skyhawks advanced to the second round of the 2016 WNIT.
Southern will follow with three-straight contests at the SIU Arena, first hosting the University of Alabama-Birmingham on Dec. 3. The Salukis will then welcome SEMO to the SIU Arena on Dec. 9, before closing the home portion of their non-conference slate against Memphis, a WNIT qualifier last season, on Dec. 11.
SIU concludes the non-conference slate with two games at the UMKC Tournament in Kansas City, Kan. The Salukis take on the hosts from UMKC on Dec. 19, before a matchup against the 2016 WNIT Champion South Dakota Coyotes on Dec. 20.
After the holidays, Missouri Valley Conference action will begin with Southern set to take on the MVC's 18-game, round-robin schedule.
