The McNeese State women’s basketball team released its schedule, which features 29 games and eight in-state nonconference opponents, for the 2017-18 season Tuesday afternoon. 

The Cowgirls will tip-off the season Nov. 12 at home against Southern-New Orleans in their final season playing in the Burton Coliseum before moving to an on-campus facility.

“We’re excited to release the schedule so everyone will know who we’ll be playing this upcoming season,” said McNeese head coach Kacie Cryer. “We always look forward to playing in-state schools, and we’re playing a lot of them.”

Among those in-state bouts are home games against Grambling State, Louisiana-Monroe and road trips to Louisiana-Lafayette and Louisiana Tech.  

McNeese will open Southland Conference play Dec. 28 at Incarnate Word in San Antonio before a four-game home stand. 

The Cowgirls will them embark on a seven-game road trip in which they will not play a home game over the span of a month between Jan. 10 and Feb. 10. 

The stretch was initially supposed to be cut by a home game against Lamar on Jan. 27, but the teams had to switch home games because Burton is home to the annual Southwest District Livestock Show & Rodeo which is in Lake Charles that week.

“When I first saw that, I was actually really nervous,” Cryer said. “It’s definitely going to be a tough stretch for us. But with us returning 10 players and getting some kids back from last year, this group will be ready.”

While McNeese will go on the road for a month during conference play, it will book end its season with plenty of games in the Burton Coliseum. The Cowgirls will play six of their first eight games at home and five of their last seven games in front of a favorable crowd. 

The schedule also features three games against 2017 NCAA Tournament teams in Texas, Baylor and SLC opponent Central Arkansas.

The Cowgirls will also participate in five home doubleheaders with the men’s team against Northwestern State, New Orleans, Southeastern, Houston Baptist and Lamar.

 

Cowgirls Basketball Schedule

Nov. 7 — Wiley College (Exhibition)

Nov. 12 — Southern U.-New Orleans 

Nov. 15 — at Texas 

Nov. 19 — LSU-Alexandria

Nov. 22 — Grambling State

Nov. 26 — Louisiana-Monroe 

Nov. 29 — Tulane 

Dec. 3 — at Louisiana-Lafayette 

Dec. 11 — Louisiana College 

Dec. 13 — at Baylor 

Dec. 18 — at Louisiana Tech 

Dec. 22 — at Southern Methodist 

Dec. 28 — *at Incarnate Word 

Dec. 30 — *Northwestern St. (Dh) 

Jan. 3 — *Abilene Christian 

Jan. 6 — *New Orleans (Dh) 

Jan. 10 — *Nicholls State

Jan. 13 — *at Southeastern Louisiana (DH) 

Jan. 20 — *at Houston Baptist (DH) 

Jan 27 — *at Lamar (DH) 

Jan. 31 — *at Sam Houston State 

Feb. 3 — *at Northwestern St (DH) 

Feb. 7 — *at Stephen F. Austin 

Feb. 10 — *Southeastern Louisiana (DH) 

Feb. 14 — *Central Arkansas 

Feb. 17 — *at New Orleans (DH) 

Feb. 21 — *at Nicholls State

Feb. 24 — *Houston Baptist (Dh) 

Feb. 28 — *Texas A&M-Corpus Christi

March 3 — *Lamar (Dh) 

March 7-11 — SLC Tournament (Katy, Texas)