Danny PfrankGoSycamores.com
TERRE HAUTE, Ind. - The Indiana State women's basketball team, led by first-year head coach Teri Moren, announced the complete version of their 2010-11 regular season schedule today. The slate features five non-conference homes games, including a visit from the Michigan Wolverines, along with another trip to Manhattan, Kan., to take on the Kansas State Wildcats.
Before the regular season gets underway, the Sycamores play two exhibition homes games at Hulman Center to prepare for the 2010-11 season. Fans can get their first look at Moren's squad when they take on Bellarmine on Friday, November 5, and Missouri - St. Louis on Sunday, November 7, in exhibition contests. The Sycamores open up the regular season the following weekend, on Friday, November 12, when Furman comes to Terre Haute.
ISU then hits the road for four of its next five games, returning to Kansas State on Wednesday, November 15, before hosting Michigan on Monday, November 22. The Sycamores head south for Thanksgiving Weekend, traveling to Miami, Fla., for the Florida International Tournament on November 26 and 28. Opponents for the FIU Tournament are still TBA. Indiana State wraps up the road swing with a trip to Indianapolis to face Butler on Saturday, December 4.
Three of the last four non-conference games are inside Hulman Center for ISU, with the Sycamores hosting Eastern Illinois (December 8), USC Upstate (December 12) and SIU Edwardsville (December 22) around a trip to Martin, Tenn., against UT - Martin on December 19.
Just as they did last season, the Sycamores begin the Missouri Valley Conference portion of their schedule with a three-game homestand, beginning on Thursday, December 30 when the Northern Iowa Panthers come to Terre Haute. The Sycamores continue at Hulman Center against Bradley (January 1) and Illinois State (January 8).
ISU then hits to road for trips to Wichita State (January 13) and Missouri State (January 16) before returning home for Drake (January 20) and Creighton (January 22). Three more road games are next for Indiana State, when they travel to in-state Evansville (January 27), Southern Illinois (January 29) and Illinois State (February 5).
Two homestands and road trips each are left for the remainder of the 2010-11 season, with games inside Hulman Center against Missouri State (February 10), Wichita State (February 12), Southern Illinois (February 25) and Evansville (February 27) and road trips to Creighton (February 17), Drake (February 19), Bradley (March 3) and Northern Iowa (March 5).
The State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament takes place from March 10-13 in St. Charles, Mo., with the automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament on the line.
Indiana State returns nine student-athletes from last year's squad, led by senior forward Kelsie Cooley. Cooley is joined by four juniors (Chelsea Buher, Deja Mattox, Brittany Schoen and Shannon Thomas) and a trio of sophomores (Moriah Hodge, Krista Smith and Taylor Whitley). Redshirt freshman Andrea Rademacher will see her first season of play after suffering an injury last season, along with four talented freshmen, in Nikki Gunning (Howell, Mich. / Howell), Anna Munn (Indianapolis, Ind. / Decatur Central), Sadie Oyer (Huntsville, Ohio / Indian Lakes) and Illyssa Vivo (Plantation, Fla. / American Heritage).