FULTON, Mo. – First-year Head Coach James Arnold has announced the finalized women's basketball schedule for the 2017-18 season, highlighted by 11 home games, 16 conference games, and an exhibition match up against Division I Evansville University.
"I'm really excited about our schedule," said Arnold. "I think it shapes us nicely to really test our young squad – we'll have to adopt a bit of a road warrior mentality early and we'll be challenged especially as we all get to know one another and begin to gel."
To kick off the season, the Blue Jays will host an alumni game October 28 in the Historic Gym. The game will begin after the Westminster football game against MacMurray, which is scheduled to start at 1 p.m.
The Blue Jays start the season with the annual Tip-Off Tourney, this year hosted by Greenville, November 17 and 18. Westminster will face Illinois College and Millikin University.
The squad will then face NCAA Division I opponent Evansville in an exhibition matchup November 21.
November 22, the team returns to Westminster for the home opener against Central (Iowa), before heading back on the road to Lexington, Kentucky, for the Pat Deacon Thanksgiving Tournament November 25 and 26, where the team will face Maryville (Tenn.) and one other opponent to be determined.
November 29 features the home opener of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference for the Blue Jays against Webster.
In December, Westminster will face SLIAC opponents Greenville (Dec. 2), and Spalding (Dec. 9) on the road. The rest of the month features three nonconference contests against Kansas Christian at home (Dec. 11), and Coe College (Dec. 17) and NCAA Division II Missouri S & T (Dec. 30) on the road.
In January and February, the Blue Jays will move into the rest of the conference schedule, with home games against Fontbonne (Jan. 3), Eureka (Jan, 10), MacMurray (Jan. 13), Greenville (Jan. 24), Spalding (Jan. 27), Iowa Wesleyan (Feb. 7), and Blackburn (Feb. 17). The squad will face nonconference opponent in Barclay College January 12.
The rest of the conference road schedule for 2018 begins at Iowa Wesleyan (Jan. 6), Blackburn (Jan. 17), Webster (Jan. 20), Fontbonne (Feb. 3), Eureka (Feb.10), and MacMurray (Feb. 14). Westminster will travel to Kansas Christian January 15 for its final nonconference game.
"If we can get through the growing pains early I believe there is a great chance for us to be playing our best basketball late in the year and that's what it's all about," said James.
The SLIAC Tournament is scheduled for Feb. 22-24 at the site of the No. 1 seed and winner of the regular season.
