Printable Non-Conference Schedule

SPRINGFIELD -- The Missouri State women's basketball team will play as many as 11 schools that qualified for the postseason a year ago, highlighted by home games against Missouri and Oklahoma State and a neutral-site date with Stanford, during a challenging non-league schedule that was unveiled Tuesday (Aug. 25) by third-year head coach Kellie Harper.

With the addition of the Missouri Valley Conference schedule, which will be released by the league in the coming weeks, the Lady Bears will have a total of 16 games against 13 teams that participated in a postseason tournament in 2014-15, with 20 of the team's 30 scheduled contests against clubs that posted a winning record last year with the potential to add another such opponent during the Gulf Coast Showcase in Florida.

"We have challenged our players and staff with our non-conference schedule," Harper said. "We believe this competitive schedule will prepare us for success in the Missouri Valley Conference and ultimately post-season play."

The Lady Bears open the 2015-16 campaign Nov. 13 by hosting Missouri at JQH Arena, the first of three home dates in November. Missouri State also welcomes Mid-America Nazarene on Nov. 17 as an opening game in the Gulf Coast Showcase, and takes on Oklahoma State on Nov. 23.

MSU visits Ole Miss on Nov. 19 for the second of a possible four games against Southeastern Conference opponents during the season, and heads to the aforementioned Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla., from Nov. 27-29. The Lady Bears open tournament play with perennial power Stanford at 12:30 p.m. (Central) on Nov. 27, and will face Dayton or Maine on Nov. 28. MSU's final opponent in Florida will be either Louisville, LSU, Marist, or Purdue.

Missouri State continues its road trip Dec. 2 at Arkansas before returning home for games against Eastern Kentucky (Dec. 5) and Oral Roberts (Dec. 12). The non-conference schedule concludes with road games at Middle Tennessee on Dec. 17 and Little Rock on Dec. 20. Eastern Kentucky is MSU's lone opponent that did not finish the 2014-15 season with a winning record and postseason berth, while a meeting with Purdue in Florida would add a second team to that category.

Missouri State's exhibition schedule features home games against Lyon (Nov. 2) and Quincy (Nov. 8).

The Lady Bears finished the 2014-15 season with an 18-15 overall record and 13-5 mark in MVC play for a third-place finish. After an 0-6 start and 8-13 record in mid-February, Missouri State reeled off 10 consecutive victories to advance to the MVC Tournament championship game and earn an at-large bid to the WNIT. MSU returns four starters and all but one scholarship player to the 2015-16 roster.

Missouri State's incoming freshman class for 2015-16 includes Danielle Gitzen (5-10, G, Victoria, Minn., Chanhassen High), Riley Rose (5-8, G, Searcy, Ark., Harding Academy), and Grace Vander Weide (5-11, G, West Des Moines, Iowa, Valley High).

Ticket information can be found online at www.MissouriStateBears.com/tickets.