ERIE, Pa. - Gannon head women’s basketball coach Cleve Wright announced the program’s 2009-10 regular-season schedule on Monday. The slate includes 30 games, 14 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Western Division contests, and four PSAC cross-over games. The cross-over games against Eastern Division opponents do not count in the conference standings.
Gannon will kick off the 2009-10 season with a trip to Orlando, Florida to participate in the prestigious Disney Tip-Off Classic. The Lady Knights will get an early start to the season with the tournament scheduled for November 6-8. Among the opponents is Stonehill, who finished 22-8 last season and played in the NCAA Division II Tournament.
The Lady Knights will play in three tournaments during their non-conference schedule. The squad also travels to the Clarion Classic November 15-16 and the North Star Invitational in Fairbanks, Alaska November 26-28.
The 2009 portion of the non-conference schedule includes home games against Ferris State (November 20), Tiffin (December 8), and St. Thomas Aquinas (December 30). The lone non-conference road contest is scheduled for December 22 at Central State.
The women’s schedule includes 12 home games and 18 road affairs. The Lady Knights see their first PSAC competition January 2-3 when they travel to Kutztown and East Stroudsburg in cross-over games. The squad hosts Bloomsburg (January 9) and Mansfield (January 10) the following weekend to complete cross-over play.
The final 14 games of the regular-season pit Gannon against PSAC Western Division opponents. The stretch tips off Wednesday, January 13 against California (Pa.) at home. The regular season concludes with home games against Mercyhurst (February 24) and Lock Haven (February 27).
All PSAC home games will begin at 5:30 p.m. except for the January 9 and 10 cross-over contests, which will tip off at 1 p.m. The non-conference home contests will start at either 1 or 6 p.m.
Gannon’s 2009-10 opponents won nearly 50 percent (325-339) of their games last season. Three of those opponents played in the 2009 NCAA Division II Tournament: Stonehill (Mass.), California (Pa.), and Indiana (Pa.). California (4th), IUP (19th), and Stonehill (22nd) were nationally ranked in the final 2008-09 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Top 25.
Gannon’s non-conference opponents produced a combined .484 (171-182) winning percentage. The pre-PSAC schedule includes three home games, one road contest, and eight neutral-site games.
The home schedule is highlighted by visits from local rivals Edinboro and Mercyhurst. Gannon hosts Edinboro on January 27 and Mercyhurst on February 24. The Lady Knights play at Edinboro on February 17 and at Mercyhurst on February 3. The squad plays four of its last six regular-season games at the Hammermill Center.
Gannon finished the 2008-09 season with a 26-5 overall record and 12-2 PSAC mark, tying the school record for victories and advancing to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time in school history. In addition, the squad won four games against nationally-ranked opponents and was ranked 20th in the final
USA Today ESPN Division II Top 25.
The complete 2009-10 Gannon women’s basketball schedule can be found at
http://www.gannonsports.com/schedule.aspx?path=wbball.