Women's Basketball Announces 2014-15 Schedule
9/10/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
FAIRFIELD, CONN. (September 9, 2014)—Sacred Heart University Women's Basketball head coach Jessica Mannetti announced the 2014-15 schedule Wednesday morning. Mannetti opens her second season at the helm of the Pioneers on November 16 at 2:00 p.m. at Iona.
"I am excited to announce our nonconference schedule comprised of quality teams who will certainly challenge us as we prepare for Northeast Conference play," said Mannetti. "After a very successful summer, which returned a solid core group of returners and welcomed the addition of four new Pioneers, I am excited to get this season underway."
Sacred Heart hosts the University of Bridgeport in the 2014-15 home opener on November 18 at 7:00 p.m., the first of four non-conference contests SHU is set to play on Coach Bike Court in the William H. Pitt Center.
After a stop to play the University of Maine on November 23, the Pioneers come home for back-to-back games against Lehigh on November 30 and Vermont on December 3 before a three-game road trip. SHU will open the Brown Classic at 2:00 p.m. on December 6 against the host Bears before taking on either Drexel or St. Bonaventure on Sunday. A trip to Assistant Coach Lisa Etienne's alma mater, Hartford, on December 14 concludes the road trip.
The Pioneers return home to host Siena on December 17, before heading to Villanova on December 20 to conclude the nonconference slate. SHU took the Big East Wildcats to overtime at the Pitt Center last season.
Sacred Heart opens Northeast Conference play with three straight home games beginning with St. Francis Brooklyn on Saturday, January 3 at 1:00 p.m. Women's teams will once again play Saturdays and Mondays during conference play. Most Saturday games will be doubleheaders with the men's team.
Sacred Heart will face Saint Francis U on consecutive Saturdays, with the Red Flash coming to Fairfield on January 10 and the Pioneers returning the visit on January 17. Saint Francis U ended the Pioneers' 2013-14 campaign in a double-overtime thriller in the NEC quarterfinals; the second highest scoring game in NCAA history. SHU completes its Pennsylvania swing two days later at defending league champion Robert Morris, January 19.
The Pioneers will see the Colonials again towards the end of the season on February 23 heading into the final weekend of the regular season. That final weekend looks exactly the same as it did in 2013-14. SHU will host LIU Brooklyn in the final regular season home game on February 28, and travel to Fairleigh Dickinson to close out the regular season two days later.
SHU brings back four starters from the 12-win 2013-14 squad. All-NEC first-team selection Gabrielle Washington (Mesa, Ariz.) returns to lead the Pioneers in her senior season. Last year, she led Sacred Heart with 18.6 points per game, and set the program's single-game scoring record lighting up the scoreboard with 47 points against SFU in the NEC quarterfinal. Also returning for the Pioneers is a pair of All-Rookie selections Adaysha Williams (LaCrosse, Wis.) and Hannah Kimmel (Harpursville, N.Y.). Williams reached double-digit scoring 14 teams in her freshman campaign, finishing the season averaging 8.6 points per outing. After spending two seasons sidelined with ACL injuries, Kimmel had a strong season averaging 10 points per game and a team leading 5.9 rebounds per game.
