Rice University Athletics
Women's Basketball: Lady Owls Announce 2000-01 Schedule
8/21/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
A first round victory in the WNIT will lead to a potential second-round match-up with perennial top-10 and future Western Athletic Conference opponent Louisiana Tech, a regional finalist in last year's NCAA tournament. Including Rice, the WNIT features seven teams from the 2000 NCAA tourney.
"We have some quality teams on our schedule and once again we have some tough road games," eighth-year head coach Cristy McKinney said about the upcoming season. "We hope to get ourselves in position to get back into the NCAA tournament."
The Lady Owls will hit the road for six non-conference games and host five home games prior to the start of WAC play. The Rice road trips will feature a journey to Arizona to take on the NCAA regional finalist Wildcats. The Lady Owls finish up the non-conference schedule with a New Year's Eve battle with the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame, who advanced to the NCAA regional semifinals.
At home, the Lady Owls host Memphis, Eastern Kentucky and Iona in the Gene Hackerman/Rice Invitational. Rice also hosts Texas Tech, another 2000 NCAA regional finalist, at Autry Court in December.
The defending WAC tournament champs open conference play with a road trip to Fresno State (Jan. 5) and conference newcomer Nevada (Jan. 7). Rice returns home for a three-game stand against Tulsa, TCU and SMU at Autry Court. The Lady Owls finish out the regular season at home with the Wolfpack and the Bulldogs before heading to Tulsa, Okla., for the 2001 WAC Tournament.
The Lady Owls finished the 1999-2000 season 22-10, their best year in history. After winning the WAC tournament, Rice went on to upset UC-Santa Barbara 67-64 in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
