Women's Basketball releases 2017-18 non-conference schedule
07/27/2017 | 9:53:00 | Women's Basketball
five home dates, eight away contests and two neutral site games in Puerto Rico make up this year's non-conference slate.
CARBONDALE, Ill. — Fifth-year Southern Illinois women's basketball head coach Cindy Stein revealed the Salukis non-conference schedule for the 2017-18 season, highlighted by a two-game trip to San Juan, Puerto Rico.
Five home dates, eight away contests and two neutral sites games make up this year's slate. Season tickets are on sale now and can be purchased by calling 1-877-SALUKIS or by visiting SIUSalukis.com.
The Salukis open the season with a pair of exhibition contests at the SIU Arena. Southern takes on Kentucky Wesleyan on Oct. 28 before hosting Lindenwood University (Nov. 3) for its final preseason tune-up. SIU opens the 2017-18 regular season on Nov. 10 when it hosts UT Martin.
From there, the Salukis have three-straight road contests, beginning at the University of Alabama-Birmingham on Nov. 13. Southern then travels to Memphis on Nov. 19 before making the short trip to Cape Girardeau, Mo. to face the SEMO Redhawks on Nov. 22.
SIU returns home on Nov. 27 to tangle with sister school, SIU-Edwardsville. The Salukis lead the all-time series against the Cougars, 3-2, but it was SIUE who squeaked out a 60-59 win a year ago.
Morehead State (Nov. 30) is the first of three opponents SIU will face that played postseason basketball a year ago, as the Eagles advanced to the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) for the first-time in program history last season.
Southern then travels to Marshall University on Dec. 2 before returning home to host NAIA opponent Martin Methodist College (Tenn.) on Dec. 7.
Rounding out the home portion of the non-conference schedule is a date vs. Western Kentucky (Dec. 10). The Hilltoppers made the program's 19th NCAA Tournament appearance a year ago and the matchup will mark the first meeting between the two programs in more than 10 years (11/23/2007).
SIU will close out its non-conference slate in San Juan, Puerto Rico on Dec. 19-20. Southern will take on the University at Albany, a NCAA Tournament team last season, and Kennesaw State during the two-day international trip, the program's fourth such trip and first since 2008.
The Salukis' Missouri Valley Conference schedule will be released at a later date.
