EIU Women Announce Basketball Schedule

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Published on September 1 2015 2:35 pm
Last Updated on September 1 2015 2:35 pm
Written by Millie Lange

Coach Debbie Black announced the 2015-16 Eastern Illinois women's basketball schedule today which features eight teams that EIU faced last season during non-conference play.

The Panthers will open the 2015-16 regular season at home on Friday, Nov. 13 as they welcome IUPUI to Lantz Arena. EIU then heads to Memphis the following Sunday, Nov. 15 marking the first time the Panthers and the Tigers have squared off since 1984.

EIU then comes back home to face Loyola-Chicago on Nov. 17 before heading out on a three game road trip against Indiana State on Nov. 19 followed by games at Northern Illinois on Nov. 24 and St. Louis on Nov. 29.

The Panthers continue their non-conference schedule against three teams they saw last year facing Western Illinois, with whom EIU holds a 31-17 overall record against, at home on Dec. 2 followed by an away match at Omaha on Dec. 6.. EIU closes out the fall semester at home facing Milwaukee on Dec. 10 for the second straight year before welcoming Stetson for the first time ever to Lantz Arena on Dec. 13.

EIU wraps up non-conference action with games on both sides of the Christmas Break. The Panthers travel to Ohio to face Cincinnati on Dec. 20 with a game at Illinois-Chicago on Dec. 28. Unlike previous seasons EIU will not participate in an in-season tournament for the first time since 2011.

Ohio Valley Conference play opens for the Panthers with an end of the year game on New Year’s Eve at Tennessee Tech. EIU went 7-9 in conference play last year finishing eighth overall before dropping their conference tournament opener against then four-time defending champions UT Martin.

The Panthers play at Jacksonville State on Jan. 2 before opening their home conference play against defending OVC Tournament champions Tennessee State on Jan. 6. EIU then plays single OVC games on the road at Belmont [Jan. 9] and two home games against Eastern Kentucky [Jan. 14] and Morehead State [Jan. 16]. This marks the second straight year that the OVC women’s basketball teams have gone away from divisional play.

From there the Panthers continue conference play with home-and-home series against UT Martin who went undefeated last year in conference play, Austin Peay, Murray State, SIU Edwardsville, and Southeast Missouri. EIU closes out their season at home on Feb. 27 against SIUE.

The 2016 OVC Tournament takes place March 2-5 in Nashville, Tenn.

This season marks the first year that women's basketball games will be played in four 10-minute quarters as opposed to two 20-minute halves as done in previous seasons. The NCAA approved this new format this past June believing that the four quarter fomat will enhance the flow of the game.

For ticket information fans can call the EIU Ticket Office at 217-581-2106, and be sure to follow along on Twitter @EIU_Panthers


2015-16 EIU Women’s Basketball Schedule

Nov. 13 – IUPUI
Nov. 15 – at Memphis
Nov. 17 – Loyola-Chicago
Nov. 19 – at Indiana State
Nov. 24 – at Northern Illinois
Nov. 28 – at Saint Louis
Dec. 2 – Western Illinois
Dec. 6 – at Omaha
Dec. 10 – Milwaukee
Dec. 13 – Stetson
Dec. 20 – at Cincinnati
Dec. 28 – at Illinois-Chicago
Dec. 31 – at Tennessee Tech *
Jan. 2 – at Jacksonville State *
Jan. 6 – Tennessee State *
Jan. 9 – at Belmont *
Jan. 14 – Eastern Kentucky *
Jan. 16 – Morehead State *
Jan. 20 – UT Martin *
Jan. 23 – at Austin Peay *
Jan. 27 – at Murray State *
Jan. 30 – at SIU Edwardsville *
Feb. 6 – Southeast Missouri *
Feb. 10 – Austin Peay *
Feb. 17 – Murray State *
Feb. 20 – at Southeast Missouri *
Feb. 24 – at UT Martin *
Feb. 27 – SIU Edwardsville *
March 2-5 – OVC Tournament
* Denotes OVC game