June 26, 2006

2006-07 Women's Basketball Schedule

FAIRFIELD, CT (June 26, 2006) -The Sacred Heart University women's basketball team released their 29-game schedule as the Pioneers get ready to defend their Northeast Conference Championship in 2006-07.

The Pioneers, coming off a record-setting 26-5 campaign that netted them their first-ever league title and trip to the NCAA Tournament, will play 11 non-conference games to prepare for the rigors of an 18-game league slate as SHU gears up for another championship run.

Sacred Heart played perfect at home last season, finishing the year 15-0 in the William H. Pitt Center, while new school attendance records on three separate occasions. The Pioneers need take that success with them on the road this year with 17 road trips, including five of the first six away from home in November.

The season tips-off on Friday, November 10th in the Conte Forum at Boston College with the first of three match-ups with the Big East this season. In addition to the facing the Eagles, the Pioneers will host Providence College on December 1st and ring in the New Year taking on in-state national power Connecticut in the Hartford Civic Center December 31st.

The Pioneers will look to extend their 15-game home winning streak and pick-up their 100th victory in the Pitt Center on November 17th when La Salle of the Atlantic-10 Conference pays a visit for the 2006-07 home opener. From there, SHU hits the road for a three-pack of games against Ivy Leaguer's Brown (Nov. 21st), Yale (Nov. 25th) and Columbia (Nov. 28th) to close out November. The non-league schedule also features a trio of games against the America East with road trips to Binghamton (Nov. 13th) and Albany (Dec. 17th) while Stony Brook pays a visit to Fairfield (Dec. 5th). Saint Peter's of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Association rounds out the non-conference schedule as SHU travels to Jersey City, New Jersey on December 20th.

The Northeast Conference schedule is primed to be as competitive as ever with the league coming off a season that saw its top three teams all win 20 or more games, a first in the history of the conference. In NEC play, the Pioneers will play each of the other ten schools in the NEC twice, with the exception of Long Island and St. Francis-NY who they will play just once. SHU's league opener is ticketed for December 9th at home as St. Francis-PA travels in and after facing Robert Morris just once last season, the Pioneers and Colonials will face-off twice in 2006-07.

Pioneer fans will have to wait until February 21st to see the rematch of last year's NEC title game. SHU will face Quinnipiac twice in the span of six days to close out the regular season, hosting the rival Bobcats on the 21st on "Senior Night" while heading up to Hamden on the 27th for the season finale.

The first two rounds of this year's NEC Tournament will be played on March 3rd and 6th with the championship game slated for March 10th. Each game in this year's tournament will be played at the site of the higher seed.

2006-07 Women's Basketball schedule

November - at Boston College (10th); Binghamton (13th); La SALLE (17th); at Brown (21st); at Yale (25th); at Columbia (28th)

December - PROVIDENCE (1st); STONY BROOK (5th); ST. FRANCIS-PA (9th); at Albany (17th); at Saint Peter's (20th); at UConn (31st)

January - at Mount St. Mary's (3rd); at St. Francis-NY (6th); FAIRLEIGH DICKINSON (8th); MONMOUTH (13th); WAGNER (15th); at St. Francis-PA (20th); at Robert Morris (22nd); at Central Connecticut (27th); LONG ISLAND (29th)

February - CENTRAL CONNECTICUT (3rd); at Wagner (5th); ROBERT MORRIS (10th); at Fairleigh Dickinson (12th); MOUNT ST. MARY'S (19th); QUINNIPIAC (21st); at Monmouth (24th); at Quinnipiac (27th)

March - NEC Quarterfinal (3rd); NEC Semifinal (6th); NEC Championship (10th)

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