University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Lady Eagle Basketball Releases 2008-09 Schedule
9/15/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Sept. 15, 2008
HATTIESBURG, Miss. -- Southern Miss Head Women's Basketball Coach Joye Lee-McNelis Monday released the 2008-09 schedule that features seven teams, Michigan, Arkansas-Little Rock, Southeast Missouri State, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, SMU and UTEP, that reached the postseason last year.
The schedule also includes 16 Conference USA games as well as non-conference tilts against Sam Houston State, Tennessee State, South Alabama, Louisiana-Monroe, Mississippi State, Alcorn State, William Carey, Oklahoma State and Nicholls State. Southern Miss plays host to its own Lady Eagle Classic and will participate in one other tournament in Las Vegas, Nev.
"In putting together our schedule this year, we wanted to increase the overall strength in our non-conference because we believe it is time to make that step," McNelis said. "Our schedule will be challenging for us. We have seven teams that went to postseason on our schedule. We also go to UNLV for a tournament and we will be battle-tested there."
The Lady Eagles open the regular season, Nov. 14, on the road against Sam Houston State, before returning home to host Tennessee State. Southern Miss then will play at South Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe before returning home to host its own Lady Eagle Classic, Nov. 28-29. Southern Miss begins the month of December at Arkansas-Little Rock, then returns to Reed Green Coliseum to host three straight, William Carey, Southeast Missouri State and Mississippi State. The Lady Eagles also play in their second tournament of the season UNLV, for the Desert Draw, Dec. 19-20, before closing out the month of December hosting Nicholls State.
"Our goal as a coaching staff is that being challenged in our non-conference games will better prepare us for our conference games," said McNelis.
Conference USA again plays in two divisions, East and West. The East teams consist of Southern Miss, East Carolina, UAB, Memphis, UCF and Marshall, while the West has Tulane, Houston, Rice, Tulsa, UTEP and SMU. The Lady Eagles open the C-USA schedule on the road at UCF, followed by games at UAB and Memphis. Southern Miss returns home to host UCF and Houston, before heading to Rice.
Southern Miss will play four consecutive home games, beginning with Marshall, East Carolina, SMU and Tulsa. The Lady Eagles play at East Carolina, followed by a nationally televised game on ESPN2 at Marshall, at Tulane and at UTEP, before closing out the regular season with homes games against UAB and Memphis.
"Our conference schedule will be a challenge for us, because we open up on the road to start," McNelis said. "The league has so much parity. I know the league lost some key players, but it also returned some good talent. It's going to be a dog-fight."
The regular season concludes with the C-USA Women's Basketball Championship March 5-8, in New Orleans, La. The complete, schedule includes:
Nov. 14, at Sam Houston State; 17, Tennessee State; 20, at South Alabama; 25, at Louisiana-Monroe; 28-29, Lady Eagle Thanksgiving Classic sponsored by LaQuinta Inn; Dec. 3, at Arkansas-Little Rock; 6, William Carey; 13, Southeast Missouri State; 16, Mississippi State; 19-20, at The Desert Draw at UNLV; 30; Nicholls State; Jan. 3, at UCF, 8 at UAB; 10, at Memphis; 18 UCF; 22, Houston; 25 at Rice; 29, Marshall; 31, East Carolina; Feb. 5, SMU; 7, Tulsa; 13, at East Carolina; 15, at Marshall; 19, at Tulane; 21, at UTEP; 26, UAB; 28, Memphis; Mar. 6-9, at C-USA Women's Basketball Championship (New Orleans, La.).
