A trip to the Lone Star State and tilts against six teams that appeared in last year’s NCAA Championship highlight the Eastern Washington University women’s basketball 2015-16 schedule, as announced by head coach Wendy Schuller on Aug. 18.
EWU’s 2015-16 slate boasts nine contests against programs that won at least 20 games a season ago, and four meetings versus teams that claimed their respective conference’s regular season title last year.
Schuller, who is entering her 15th season on the sideline in Cheney, has never been one to shy away from scheduling tough opponents, using a challenging nonconference schedule to prepare the Eagles for the rigors of Big Sky Conference play.
“I’ve always said that in the Big Sky, we see not only high-quality opponents but a number of different styles of play,” Schuller said. “When we do our nonconference scheduling, we want it to challenge us and put us up against opponents who play a variety of styles.”
The Eagles will open their season at home, hosting Eastern Oregon on Friday, Nov. 13, before taking on Air Force on Sunday, Nov. 15.
EWU’s first road game of the year takes place on Thursday, Nov. 19, in Spokane at local foe Gonzaga.
Two-time defending Big West Tournament champion Cal State Northridge visits Reese Court on Sunday, Nov. 22, before Eastern journeys to Austin, Texas, for the Lone Star Showcase during the week of Thanksgiving.
EWU will play three games in three days from Nov. 26-28, taking on Northwestern, East Carolina and Creighton.
December opens with a home contest against Utah Valley on Thursday, Dec. 3, followed by road games at Cal State Fullerton on Sunday, Dec. 13, and Wichita State on Tuesday, Dec. 15. Wichita State will be eyeing another shot at the Eagles, who cruised past the Shockers, 86-58, a year ago in Cheney.
EWU wraps up nonconference play with home games versus Abilene Christian on Friday, Dec. 18, and Boise State on Monday, Dec. 21.
The Eagle women’s full schedule of Big Sky games can be seen below.
For the first time in its history, the Big Sky Tournament will be played at a neutral site, with Reno, Nev., winning the bid to host. The tournament will be held over six days with the first round beginning Monday, Mar. 7.
All 12 of the league’s members will receive a spot in the tournament, with the top four teams in the final standings receiving byes into the quarterfinal round.
“It’s exciting to have the conference tournament at a predetermined site,” Schuller said . “I’m anxious to see what Reno has in store for us.”
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