The Missouri State women's basketball team will play as many as 10 games against schools that qualified for the postseason a year ago, highlighted by a home contest against Arkansas and trips to Missouri, Kansas and Northwestern, during a non-league schedule that was unveiled Thursday (Aug. 25) by fourth-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 nine games against six teams that participated in a postseason tournament in 2015-16, with 12 of the team's 29 scheduled contests against clubs that posted a winning record last year with the potential to add another such opponent during the Great Alaska Shootout.
"Once again, we will be challenging our team with a rigorous non-conference schedule," Harper said. "Our goals are to be competitive and win, while at the same time we hope to utilize the months of November and December to prepare us for our Valley games."
The Lady Bears open the 2016-17 campaign with five games away from home, visiting Memphis (Nov. 11), Kansas (Nov. 13) and Northwestern (Nov. 16) before heading north to the Great Alaska Shootout to face Southern Cal and either Alaska Anchorage or Portland. Memphis and Northwestern played in the WNIT last season, USC ranked 56th in the NCAA RPI, and UAA went 38-3 as the NCAA Division II runner-up.
The home opener is slated for Nov. 28 against Little Rock at JQH Arena, and the Lady Bears also welcome Arkansas (Dec. 11), North Texas (Dec. 17) and Middle Tennessee (Dec. 19) to The Q before the MVC season. Little Rock won 20 games last season and played in the WNIT, while Middle Tennessee joined the Lady Bears at the College Station Regional in the NCAA Tournament.
Missouri State continues its in-state rivalry with Missouri on Dec. 2 in Columbia as the two clubs meet for a fifth consecutive season after splitting the last four match-ups. The Lady Bears also visit Oral Roberts on Dec. 7 in the final road game of the non-conference slate.
Missouri State's exhibition schedule features home games against Truman State (Nov. 1) and Northeastern State (Nov. 6).
Missouri State finished 24-10 last season and advanced to the 14th NCAA Tournament in school history. The Lady Bears return nine players from that squad, including three that started at least 11 games, for Harper's fourth season in Springfield.
Missouri State's incoming freshman class for 2016-17 includes Brice Calip (5-8, G, Sapulpa, Okla., Sapulpa High), Shameka Ealy (6-1, F, Russellville, Ark., Russellville High), Emily Gartner (6-5, C, Hiawatha, Kan., Hiawatha High), and Alexa Willard (6-1, G, Lebanon, Mo., Stoutland High).
