Full Women's Basketball Schedule And Television Information Announced
9/17/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
2015-16 Schedule || Downloadable (PDF)
NEW YORK, N.Y. - The BIG EAST conference announced on Thursday (Sept. 17) the full 2015-16 conference schedule for women's basketball. Seton Hall will begin conference play on Dec. 29 with a trip to Providence before wrapping up league action, also against the Friars, on Feb. 28. The league also announced television information, which sees The Hall play on national television six times on the FOX Sports networks in 2015-16.
In total, the BIG EAST slate includes 18 match-ups with The Hall facing each of the nine league foes in a home-and-home series. The Pirates went 15-3 in BIG EAST contests last season, claiming the regular season conference title and the No. 1 seed in the BIG EAST Championship. Under third-year head coach Anthony Bozzella, The Hall is 23-13 in BIG EAST play.
"The BIG EAST slate will once again provide us with an incredibly challenge facing off against some of the nation's top players and coaches," said Bozzella, the reigning BIG EAST Coach of the Year.
As part of the BIG EAST schedule, The Hall's contest in South Orange against St. John's will be broadcast on FOX Sports 1 and three other league contests can be seen on FOX Sports 2. All other BIG EAST contests are available on the BIG EAST Digital Network on the FOX Sports Go App. In addition, the league announced that The Hall's non-conference home games with Rutgers (Nov. 16) and Princeton (Nov. 19) will air on FS2 to kick off the network's 2015-16 BIG EAST women's basketball coverage. Every contest, in and out of league, will also be carried live on WSOU, 89.5 FM.
"The exposure our league will receive thanks to our partnership with FOX this season is tremendous. We are extremely excited to play on national television and showcase BIG EAST women's basketball," Bozzella added.
The conference slate begins with a road trip to Providence before a New Year's Eve tilt at Creighton. The league home opener will on Jan. 3 against Marquette, followed by a Tuesday night prime-time showdown with DePaul on Jan. 5 on FS2. The match-up with DePaul marks a rematch of the 2015 BIG EAST Championship title game.
A short trip to St. John's on Jan. 8 ends a stretch of three games in five days before a week off precedes tilts at Villanova on Jan. 15 and Georgetown on Jan. 17, with the contest with the Hoyas airing on FS2. The Pirates return home on Jan. 22 to host Xavier, then welcome Butler to Walsh Gym two days later. Contests at DePaul (Jan. 29) and at Marquette (Jan. 31) follow to round out the month of January.
On Super Bowl Sunday (Feb. 7), The Hall hosts St. John's for a 1:30 p.m. tip set to air on Fox Sports 1. The Pirates and Red Storm split their home-and-home series a season ago, with SHU claiming a 78-73 victory in South Orange behind a 14-point, 13-rebound double-double from All-Conference selection Tabatha Richardson-Smith (Bay City, Texas).
The Hall continues a three-game home stretch with Georgetown (Feb. 12) and Villanova (Feb. 14) before traveling to Butler on Feb. 19 for a contest on FS2. In Seton Hall's last visit to Butler on March 1, 2015, the Pirates rallied from a nine-point deficit with a minute to play to pull off an improbable comeback victory and clinch a share of the BIG EAST regular season crown.
The BIG EAST regular season schedule concludes for The Hall with a contest at Xavier on Feb. 21 before home games with Creighton on Feb. 26 and Providence on Feb. 28. The 2016 BIG EAST women's basketball tournament will be hosted by DePaul and run from March 5-8, with quarterfinal action airing on FS2 before the semifinals and title game on FS1.
Season tickets for women's basketball cost only $45 and provide access to the best seats in historic Walsh Gymnasium. To purchase, call the Athletic Ticket Office at 973-275-4255.
"We had some amazing crowds last season and are hoping for a string of early sell-outs this year," Bozzella added.
