SPORTS

 

DAVIDSON, N.C.  — Coming off their first postseason invite in six years and best finish in the Atlantic 10, the Davidson women’s basketball program is looking to carry that successful momentum into the 2019-20 season as third-year head coach Gayle Coats Fulks announced today a very exciting and challenging non-conference schedule.

The 13-game slate includes an invite into the Preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament and road games against three teams from the Power Five conferences in Virginia Tech, Duke and Florida. In addition, the Wildcats will face four teams that reached the last year’s WNIT.

To purchase tickets and information for the 2019-20 women’s basketball season, please click on the link above. The Atlantic 10 schedule with opponent pairings and dates will be released at a later date.

“Over the last two seasons, our team has been building momentum and going into season three, it was our goal to put together a very challenging non-conference schedule to equip us to compete for a championship in the A-10,” said Coats Fulks. “It is filled with quality opponents from start to finish. We were able to secure games with several power 5 opponents, play in a very competitive pre-season WNIT tournament, compete against other high academic schools, and continue to matchup against many regional rivals that we have traditionally played. This competitive non-conference schedule will help prepare us to compete for an A-10 championship. Our team is excited and ready for the challenge.”

The Wildcats, who went 17-15 last year and earned an invite to the Women’s Basketball Invitational, opens the regular season with a home game for the second consecutive year. They open up against Georgetown, Nov. 5, marking the first time the two programs will be facing each other. The Hoyas went 19-16 a year ago and advanced to the quarterfinals of the WNIT.

Four days later, the ‘Cats make their fourth appearance in the Preseason WNIT with a trip to Drexel, Nov. 9. The Dragons are coming off a 24-9 record last year (14-4 in the Colonial Athletic Association), while earning their fifth straight postseason bid with a trip to the WNIT. With a win, the ‘Cats would face the winner of DePaul and Miami (Ohio) in the second round, Nov. 11, with the site and time to be determined. Teams that lose in the first or second rounds will play consolation games, Nov. 15-16. The bracket will be re-drawn with regard to matchups based on considerations such as geography of teams involved, who can or cannot host and recent history of teams.

A home date, Nov. 20, against Western Carolina follows after Davidson finishes up the Preseason WNIT. It will be the 55th meeting between both programs, as the Wildcats have won 29 of the meetings including Coats Fulks’ first career win to open the 2017-18 season.

The Wildcats next embark on a four-game road trip, seeing them face Virginia Tech, Duke, East Tennessee State and High Point in a nine-day span. They will take on ACC-foes the Hokies and the Blue Devils, Nov. 24 and 27. It is the just the second meeting all-time vs. Tech, which went 22-12 last year and made it to the WNIT Sweet 16. Duke (15-15) and Davidson have played four times, with the most recent coming Nov. 12, 2004 and the Blue Devils winning its third game in the series.

Davidson faces an old foe from its Southern Conference days when it takes on ETSU, Nov. 30. The Buccaneers have won the past two meetings, including a matchup during the 2016-17 season, but the Wildcats still own a 15-13 lead in the series.

Looking to keep their winning streak alive in the all-time series vs. High Point, the Wildcats’ road trip ends with a Dec. 2 game vs. the Panthers. The ‘Cats have won the last five straight and own an 8-5 record in the series. This will be the ninth straight season both teams will be facing each other.

Returning home, Davidson takes on Newberry College, Dec. 5, before heading back out on the road to take on Columbia, Dec. 9, prior to a seven-day exam break.

Following the break, the final two games to cap off the non-conference schedule are matchups against cross-county rival Charlotte 49ers and a trip to Gainesville, Fla., to face the Florida Gators. As has been the tradition the past few seasons, the game vs. the 49ers (18-13, WNIT) will be right before the Christmas break, Dec. 21, this year at John M. Belk Arena. This will be the 30th matchup all-time.

The meeting vs. the Gators, Dec. 29, is the first-ever for the ‘Cats and is the first SEC school they have faced since traveling to Tennessee during the 2012-13 season.