Aug. 28, 2008

(San Francisco, CA) - The University of San Francisco Women's Basketball team is gearing up for an exciting 2008-09 season, with highlights including the annual odwalla Tournament, a visit to Knoxville to take on the defending NCAA Champion Tennessee Lady Vols, and a destination tournament in Cancun, Mexico.

USF takes on 14 non-conference opponents including first round NCAA Tournament participant Wyoming on January 3, 2009. After two home exhibition games against SF State (Wednesday, Nov. 5 at 7:00 PM) and Showtime Basketball from Australia (Sunday, Nov. 9 at 2:00 PM) Head Coach Tanya Haave and Assistant Coach Abby Conklin will return to their alma mater as the Dons meet defending NCAA Champion Tennessee in Knoxville on Saturday, November 15 at 11:00 AM Pacific.

"It's an honor and a privilege for our program to have the opportunity to play against Tennessee on their home court. Playing against the best will only make us better and we are looking forward to the challenge. To be able to return to Knoxville and coach against Pat (Summit, Tennessee's head coach) is going to be very special," said Haave.

San Francisco's Academy of Art will visit War Memorial Gym on Tuesday Nov. 18 at 7:00 PM before USF heads back on the road to Eastern Washington (Friday, Nov. 21 at 7:00 PM) and UC Davis (Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7:00 PM).

The sixth annual odwalla Classic will be held Thanksgiving weekend in War Memorial Gym. Northern Colorado and Washington State will open the tournament on Friday, November 28 at 7:00 PM. The Dons will then play on consecutive days, hosting Northern Colorado on Saturday (Nov. 29) at 7:00 PM, and finishing up the tournament against Washington State on Sunday (Nov. 30) at 2:00 PM.

USF will play just three home games in December, hosting Oregon State (Wednesday, Dec. 3 at 6:00 PM), Cal State Fullerton (Wednesday, Dec. 10 at 7:00 PM) and Iona (Wednesday, Dec. 31 at 2:00 PM). The Dons will visit Cal Poly (Sunday, Dec. 7 at 2:00 PM) and Sacramento State (Sunday, Dec. 14 at 2:00 PM) before heading to Mexico.

Cancun, Mexico is the destination for the Caribbean Classic, hosted by Triple Crown Sports. Game times have yet to be determined, but the Dons will meet Tennessee-Chattanooga on Friday, December 19, and Stephen F. Austin on Saturday, December 20.

On USF's return in the New Year, the Dons will travel to Wyoming (Saturday, Jan. 3 at 1:00 PM Pacific) in their last non-conference match-up of the season.

"We will face many different challenges this season with our non-conference schedule and all of these challenges will prepare us well for the tough West Coast Conference portion of our schedule. We are certainly excited to be playing in Cancun in December where we get to play two quality programs in UT-Chattanooga and Stephen F. Austin. Playing Wyoming on the road will be the perfect tune-up for us before conference play begins," Haave said.

West Coast Conference play begins for USF Thursday, January 8 at San Diego (7:00 PM). Back to the Bay Area, the Dons play at Saint Mary's on Saturday, January 10 at 2:00 PM before a three game home stand. The Dons will host Portland (Thursday, Jan. 15 at 7:00 PM), Gonzaga (Saturday, Jan. 17 at 2:00 PM), and Santa Clara (Saturday, Jan. 24 at 2:00 PM. USF finishes January with a trip to Southern California to take on Pepperdine (Thursday, Jan 29 at 7:00 PM) and Loyola Marymount (Saturday, Jan. 31 at 2:00 PM).

Saint Mary's (Thursday, Feb. 5 at 7:00 PM) and San Diego (Saturday, Feb. 7 at 2:00 PM) will visit War Memorial Gym before the Dons take a three game road trip to Portland (Thursday, Feb. 12 at 7:00 PM), Gonzaga (Saturday, Feb. 14 at 2:00 PM) and Santa Clara (Saturday, Feb. 21 at 2:00 PM). USF closes out the regular season hosting Loyola Marymount (Thursday, Feb. 26 at 7:00 PM) and Pepperdine (Saturday, Feb. 28 at 2:00 PM.

"I anticipate the West Coast Conference race to once again be an extremely close one. With a conference RPI of 7 last season, there isn't a team in our conference where you can have an `off' night and expect to win," Haave added.

The WCC Championships will move to Las Vegas' Orleans Arena, with games beginning on Friday, March 6 and ending with the Championship game on ESPNU on Monday, March 9 at noon.