Atlantic 10 Announces 2016-17 Women's Basketball Conference Schedule

League Release | Full Schedule | Full Schedule (.pdf)
 
Newport News, Va. – The Atlantic 10 league office officially announced the 2016-17 women's basketball schedule on Wednesday afternoon, giving a clear picture of Fordham's full season slate for its upcoming 47^th year of play inside the Rose Hill Gym. The Rams will be featured on national television twice in the coming months, both on NBC Sports Network, but times are yet to be announced for the remaining conference contests.
 
"The conference schedule has a few new twists as we will open up in December and also play on New Year's Day," head coach Stephanie Gaitley said, "The Atlantic 10 is one of the top basketball conferences in thecountry and I expect a lot of parity across the board."
 
Gaitley, in her 31^st season of coaching and sixth in the Bronx, and the Rams have already announced their nonconference schedule, featuring nine true home contests and five road or neutral games. The addition of eight home conference match-ups and eight true road contests brings the total to 17 games inside the Rose Hill Gymnasium and 13 total road/neutral games.
 
Fordham will play seven schools that went to last year's NCAA Tournament with the potential for contests against three more. Albany, last year's American East champion, visits the Bronx on November 22, as will Duquesne on December 1, and St. John's on December 13. The Rams will be at last year's MAAC champs Iona on December 7, at last year's A-10 champs George Washington on February 1, and have a home-and-home against St. Bonaventure. The three other potential opponents to reach the dance last season are Notre Dame, Miami, and UNC Asheville. A meeting with the Fighting Irish could happen with a win over Furman in the first round of the Preseason WNIT, while victory over Texas Tech and Buffalo, in the Miami Thanksgiving Tournament and Fordham Holiday Classic, respectively, may see the Rams take on the Hurricanes and Bulldogs.
 
Fordham opens up conference play at home on December 1 against Duquesne, last year's A-10 Tournament runners-up that reached the second round of last year's NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual champions Connecticut. It'll be a month between conference matches until a New Year's Day meeting at Rhode Island. The schedule is tight that first month, with games every three or four days, first hosting Davidson on the fourth, then on the road at George Mason on the seventh, at home against Richmond four days later on the 11^th, two road contests at NCAA Tournament at-large team St. Bonaventure and Saint Joseph's three days apart, January 15 and 18, and VCU at home on the 21^st.
 
A week later, Fordham visits Saint Louis on January 28, and four days later on the first day of February, the Rams are in our nation's capital for a nationally televised meeting against the two-time defending league champions George Washington, which can be seen live on NBC Sports Network at noon. The other contest on NBC Sports Network will be Dayton's visit to the Bronx at 2 p.m. on February 19.
 
Fordham finishes out the season with four home contests in its last six, first with three straight in a week, against St. Bonaventure, Saint Joseph's, and Massachusetts. The Rams then have a Valentine's Day battle at Davidson, before returning home for their regular season finale in the aforementioned televised game against the Flyers, before ending the season in Philadelphia against La Salle on February 22.
 
The 2017 Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Championship will feature a new, enhanced format, with six first-round games being played on campus sites, Feb. 25 and 26, between seeds three through 14, before the six victors and the top two seeds head to Richmond, Va. March 3-5 for the quarterfinals, semifinals and championship final. All three rounds in Richmond will be televised nationally, with the championship broadcasted on ESPU.