Women's Basketball Announces 2003-04 Schedule
Aug 14, 2003 | Women's Basketball
Aug. 14, 2003
2003-2004 Women's Basketball Schedule
NEW ORLEANS, La. - - Games against nine teams that reached postseason play this past spring highlight the 2003-04 Tulane women's basketball schedule, announced Thursday by Green Wave head coach Lisa Stockton.
For the third straight season, the Green Wave will play host to a game in the New Orleans Arena, welcoming in-state rival LSU on Dec. 30. Last season, the Green Wave faced Louisiana Tech in the Arena after having met Purdue there in 2001.
Tulane will also face six different teams that won at least 20 games, including two - games against LSU and Louisiana Tech - who won 30 or more games last season. The game against LSU will mark Tulane's first against the Tigers since the 2000-01 season and the first in New Orleans since Jan. 31, 1999.
In addition to the two in-state rivals, who both advanced to the NCAA Tournament last season, Tulane will face NCAA participants Charlotte, DePaul, TCU and Cincinnati in Conference USA play.
"We are very excited about the schedule that we have put together this season," Tulane head coach Lisa Stockton said. "Obviously the first thing that jumps out at you are the games against Louisiana Tech and LSU, but beyond that we have some very exciting games on the schedule. Charlotte, who won our league last season, is coming to New Orleans as is Cincinnati."
Tulane is currently scheduled to have a pair of game broadcast on television, with the match-ups against Charlotte and Houston to be aired by the Conference USA television network. The Green Wave open the season with a road game against in-state foe UL-Monroe before returning home for a pair of games against Oregon State and George Mason. OSU reached the Women's National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) last season.
Following those two home games, the Green Wave will hit the road to face national power Louisiana Tech in Ruston. That game will mark Tulane's first trip to La. Tech since the 1996-97 season. The Wave will also travel to California in early December for the Oakland Tribune Classic. Hosted by Cal, the tournament features strong squads from Miami (Ohio) and Wichita State. Tulane will then return home for games against James Madison and Nicholls State before the Christmas holidays.
After the holidays, Tulane will welcome Yale, San Jose State and Marist for the eighth annual DoubleTree Classic. The Wave will open the tournament against Marist on Saturday, Dec. 27, while Yale and San Jose State square off in the second game. Tulane will close out the calendar year with a Dec. 30 showdown against LSU in the New Orleans Arena before wrapping up non-conference play with games against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi and Arkansas State.
Tulane opens Conference USA play with a road game against traditional rival Southern Miss. The Wave will have home conference games against East Carolina, Charlotte, Memphis, Saint Louis, Louisville and Cincinnati and will travel to face Marquette, DePaul, TCU, Houston, UAB and South Florida. Tulane closes the regular season with a home game against USM before traveling to Fort Worth, Texas, for the annual Conference USA Tournament which begins March 3.
"We've got a strong group of players returning this season," Stockton said. "We have built a very strong tradition of success and we are excited to continue it for another season. We can't wait to get the season started."
The Green Wave return three starters and nine letterwinners from last season's team that reached the NCAA Tournament for the ninth consecutive year.
