Princeton Women's Basketball Releases 2015-16 Schedule

COMPLETE 2015-16 SCHEDULE

PRINCETON, N.J. – Fresh off a historic campaign, the Princeton University women's basketball team has released its schedule for the upcoming 2015-16 season.

Behind the tutelage of reigning Naismith National Coach of the Year Courtney Banghart, the Tigers will face 11 opponents that earned postseason berths (NCAA, WNIT) a year ago. Of Princeton's 12 non-conference foes, six finished the past season in the top 50 of the NCAA's final RPI rankings, with eight closing out the year in the top 100.

“I am thrilled to release this schedule to our Tiger fan base nationwide,” said Banghart. “We have pieced together top regional teams with nationally recognized Power 5 conference opponents and we are slated to play 10 non-conference teams that are coming off of postseason runs from a season ago.”

The Tigers will open their 2015-16 campaign at Jadwin Gymnasium against defending Patriot League champion American on Nov. 13 before welcoming Duquesne, which advanced to the third round of the WNIT last season, on Nov. 15. After a road match-up against instate rival and NCAA participant Seton Hall on Nov. 19, Princeton will square off with Rider on Nov. 24.

Slated to play a pair of games at the Loyola Marymount Tournament on Nov. 27-28, the Orange and Black return home to face Big 10 opponent Michigan on Dec. 6. Last year, the Tigers rolled to a decisive 85-55 victory over the Wolverines at Crisler Arena. Following a showdown against Monmouth on Dec. 9, Princeton will welcome Pittsburgh (Dec. 12) and Fordham (Dec. 14) to Jadwin Gym to wrap up a four-game homestand.

On Dec. 18, the Tigers will head to Columbus, Ohio to face the Buckeyes for the first time since the 1979-80 season. The runner-up in the Big 10 Tournament a year ago, OSU advanced to the second round of the NCAA Championship. Two days later, Princeton will take on a Dayton team that is coming off a 28-7 season and the program's first-ever Elite 8 berth.

The Orange and Black will play Marist on Dec. 29 before closing out non-conference play in the New Year against Hampton (Jan. 3).

“We look forward to hosting both a Big 10 (Michigan) and an ACC (Pittsburgh) opponent in Jadwin Gym,” Banghart said. “Similarly, we are eager to travel to play against the Big East (Seton Hall) and the Big 10 (Ohio State), as well as facing off against an Elite 8 contender from last season in Dayton. The vision is clear: to be the best, you have to play the best. These Tigers are already hard at work preparing for the journey ahead."

Princeton will open its Ivy League slate on Jan. 9 at Penn. After its annual break for finals, the Tigers return to action on Jan. 29-30 against Brown and Yale before hitting the road for contests against Dartmouth and Harvard on Feb. 5-6.

Cornell and Columbia roll into Princeton on Feb. 12-13 before the Tigers take off for four away Ivy tilts on Feb. 19-20 and Feb. 26-27 against Yale/Brown and Columbia/Cornell, respectively. Harvard and Dartmouth descend on Jadwin Gym on Mar. 4-5 before Princeton faces Penn in the regular season finale on Mar. 8.

Below is a quick glance at the Tigers' 2015-16 non-conference opponents:

2015-16 NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
	American University Nov. 13, 2015 (Jadwin Gymnasium) 2014-15 Record: 24-9 2014-15 Conference Record: 16-2 (Patriot) 2014-15 Postseason: NCAA First Round (L, 75-67 vs. Iowa) Final 2014-15 RPI: 49 All-Time Series: Series tied at 2-2 Last Meeting: W, 63-56 (Nov. 23, 2014)
	Duquesne University Nov. 15, 2015 (Jadwin Gymnasium) 2014-15 Record: 23-11 2014-15 Conference Record: 12-4 (Atlantic 10) 2014-15 Postseason: WNIT Third Round (L, 60-39 vs. West Virginia) Final 2014-15 RPI: 44 All-Time Series: Series tied at 2-2 Last Meeting: W, 79-62 (Nov. 16, 2014)
	Seton Hall University Nov. 19, 2015 (@ South Orange, N.J.) 2014-15 Record: 28-6 2014-15 Conference Record: 15-3 (Big East) 2014-15 Postseason: NCAA First Round (L, 79-66 vs. Rutgers) Final 2014-15 RPI: 43 All-Time Series: Seton Hall leads 10-4 Last Meeting: L, 75-74 (Mar. 23, 2014)
	Rider University Nov. 24, 2015 (@ Lawrence Township, N.J.) 2014-15 Record: 11-20 2014-15 Conference Record: 8-12 (MAAC) 2014-15 Postseason: N/A Final 2014-15 RPI: 276 All-Time Series: Princeton leads 23-8 Last Meeting: W, 75-62 (Nov. 19, 2013)
	University of Michigan Dec. 6, 2015 (Jadwin Gymnasium) 2014-15 Record: 20-15 2014-15 Conference Record: 8-10 (Big 10) 2014-15 Postseason: WNIT Semifinals (L, 69-65 vs. UCLA) Final 2014-15 RPI: 55 All-Time Series: Series tied at 1-1 Last Meeting: W, 85-55 (Dec. 9, 2014)
	Monmouth University Dec. 9, 2015 (Jadwin Gymnasium) 2014-15 Record: 13-18 2014-15 Conference Record: 8-12 (MAAC) 2014-15 Postseason: N/A Final 2014-15 RPI: 240 All-Time Series: Princeton leads 4-3 Last Meeting: W, 84-53 (Dec. 21, 2014)
	University of Pittsburgh Dec. 12, 2015 (Jadwin Gymnasium) 2014-15 Record: 20-12 2014-15 Conference Record: 9-7 (ACC) 2014-15 Postseason: NCAA Second Round (L, 77-67 vs. Tennessee) Final 2014-15 RPI: 39 All-Time Series: Princeton leads 1-0 Last Meeting: W, 59-43 (Nov. 14, 2014)
	Fordham University Dec. 14, 2015 (Jadwin Gymnasium) 2014-15 Record: 21-12 2014-15 Conference Record: 11-5 (Atlantic 10) 2014-15 Postseason: WNIT Second Round (L, 77-63 vs. St. John's) Final 2014-15 RPI: 73 All-Time Series: Princeton leads 5-4 Last Meeting: W, 67-53 (Dec. 30, 2014)
	Ohio State University Dec. 18, 2015 (@ Columbus, Ohio) 2014-15 Record: 24-11 2014-15 Conference Record: 13-5 (Big 10) 2014-15 Postseason: NCAA Second Round (L, 86-84 vs. North Carolina) Final 2014-15 RPI: 26 All-Time Series: Ohio State leads 1-0 Last Meeting: L, 87-58 (Dec. 21, 1979)
	University of Dayton Dec. 20, 2015 (@ Dayton, Ohio) 2014-15 Record: 28-7 2014-15 Conference Record: 14-2 (Atlantic 10) 2014-15 Postseason: NCAA Regional Final (L, 91-70 vs. UConn) Final 2014-15 RPI: 11 All-Time Series: Princeton leads 1-0 Last Meeting: W, 57-44 (Dec. 21, 1998)
	Marist College Dec. 29, 2015 (@ Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) 2014-15 Record: 21-12 2014-15 Conference Record: 15-5 (MAAC) 2014-15 Postseason: WNIT First Round (L, 67-54 vs. Temple) Final 2014-15 RPI: 133 All-Time Series: Princeton leads 2-1 Last Meeting: W, 81-58 (Nov. 17, 2013)
	Hampton University Jan. 3, 2016 (Jadwin Gymnasium) 2014-15 Record: 19-13 2014-15 Conference Record: 14-2 (MEAC) 2014-15 Postseason: WNIT Second Round (L, 57-39 vs. West Virginia) Final 2014-15 RPI: 108 All-Time Series: Princeton leads 1-0 Last Meeting: W, 75-63 (Jan. 5, 2015)