Head coach Michele Savage guided the Wildcats to their first regular season SoCon title last year.
Photo by: Tim Cowie - DavidsonPhotos.com
Preseason WNIT Highlights Davidson Women’s Basketball Schedule for 2012-13
9/11/2012 11:37:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID
2012-13 Schedule
2012 Preseason Women's NIT Bracket
2012-13 Quick Facts
DAVIDSON, N.C. – For the third time in program history, the Davidson women's basketball team will participate in the preseason Women's NIT, while also playing former national champions North Carolina and Tennessee as head coach Michele Savage has announced the release of the 2012-13 schedule today.
Entering their third season under the guidance of Savage and coming off a 22-win campaign, the Wildcats' non-conference schedule is highlighted by three trips to traditionally-ranked teams Miami, Rutgers and Tennessee, while opening up the preseason WNIT at North Carolina, Nov. 9, to start the season. In addition, the 'Cats will also play cross-county rival Charlotte and a pair of Big South opponents to go with their normal 20-game Southern Conference slate.
“I'm very excited about having the nucleus of the team back from last year's successful season,” said Savage. “I expect us to continue to build on that success with the additions of our newcomers. We have a very demanding schedule that will challenge us early and often beginning with the preseason NIT.”
The 2011-12 season was one of the program's best as the Wildcats went 22-10, won their first regular-season SoCon Title with a school-best mark of 17-3 and reached the postseason for the second time with a trip to the WNIT. Davidson returns 12 letterwinners, including the SoCon Player of the Year in Sophia Aleksandravicius (13.8 points, SoCon-best 8.9 rebounds) and first-team all-league performer Laura Murray, who paced the team with a 14.5 scoring average.
Davidson, which will be led by its five seniors Barabara Sitton, Sarah Davis, Jasmine Calin, Katrin Chiemeka and Aleksandravicius, tipoff the 2012-13 with a trip to North Carolina for the preseason WNIT. The Tar Heels were 20-11 a year ago and won the 2008 preseason WNIT. The event guarantees a minimum of three games for the Wildcats, with the second and third rounds taking place Nov. 11-19.
Thanksgiving weekend has the Wildcats traveling to Rutgers for a contest Sunday, Nov. 25. It will be the first matchup against the Scarlet Knights, who finished 22-10 and were ranked No. 23 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. They bring in the third-best recruiting class nationally, according to ESPNU HoopGuriz.com.
November finishes out with a trip to Mercer, which Davidson defeated 75-60 last year, before the Wildcats have their home opener with a Saturday, Dec. 1, contest against Georgia Southern. This will also open up Southern Conference play. The Wildcats have won 16 of the last 18 meetings against the Eagles.
Following the matchup against GSU, Davidson has five straight non-conference tilts to close out December. First up is a home game against High Point, Dec. 5, and then its four road contests in a row. Davidson takes Florida native Calin home with a trip to Miami for the first time, Dec. 8, and then goes to Gardner-Webb five days later. The Hurricanes finished ranked eighth in the AP Top 25 poll and 11th in the USA Today/ESPN after going 26-6 and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
The 'Cats and 49ers battle each other for the first since 2008 when they take to the hardwood before Christmas, Dec. 21, down at Charlotte's Halton Arena. Davidson trails the all-time series, 11-10.
The month concludes with a big trip to Tennessee for another first-time matchup for the Wildcat program. The Vols, an eight-time NCAA champion, will be under the guidance of first-year head coach Holly Warlick, who takes over for Hall of Fame coach Pat Summit. Tennessee, which finished seventh in the USA Today/ESPN poll, is coming off a 27-9 campaign and reached the Elite Eight for an NCAA-record 25th time.
The new calendar year opens up with a showdown at Belk Arena, Jan. 5, against Appalachian State, which shared the regular season title with Davidson. ASU went 27-7 last year and reached the WNIT Sweet 16. The Wildcats had the Mountaineers number last year, taking both meetings during the regular season.
The remainder of the schedule over the next two months will be against the league, featuring eight home games where Davidson went a school-best 12-1 last year.
The SoCon Tournament is in Asheville, N.C., March 8-11. Last season the top-seeded 'Cats reached the semifinals for the first time since 2007 when they got a bye into the quarterfinals and then captured a 69-58 triumph over Wofford. Their tournament run ended with a defeat to eventual champion Samford. In its 19 appearances since joining the SoCon in 1993-94, Davidson has gone 12-19, reaching the semifinals eight times and the final once.
2012 Preseason Women's NIT Bracket
2012-13 Quick Facts
DAVIDSON, N.C. – For the third time in program history, the Davidson women's basketball team will participate in the preseason Women's NIT, while also playing former national champions North Carolina and Tennessee as head coach Michele Savage has announced the release of the 2012-13 schedule today.
Entering their third season under the guidance of Savage and coming off a 22-win campaign, the Wildcats' non-conference schedule is highlighted by three trips to traditionally-ranked teams Miami, Rutgers and Tennessee, while opening up the preseason WNIT at North Carolina, Nov. 9, to start the season. In addition, the 'Cats will also play cross-county rival Charlotte and a pair of Big South opponents to go with their normal 20-game Southern Conference slate.
“I'm very excited about having the nucleus of the team back from last year's successful season,” said Savage. “I expect us to continue to build on that success with the additions of our newcomers. We have a very demanding schedule that will challenge us early and often beginning with the preseason NIT.”
The 2011-12 season was one of the program's best as the Wildcats went 22-10, won their first regular-season SoCon Title with a school-best mark of 17-3 and reached the postseason for the second time with a trip to the WNIT. Davidson returns 12 letterwinners, including the SoCon Player of the Year in Sophia Aleksandravicius (13.8 points, SoCon-best 8.9 rebounds) and first-team all-league performer Laura Murray, who paced the team with a 14.5 scoring average.
Davidson, which will be led by its five seniors Barabara Sitton, Sarah Davis, Jasmine Calin, Katrin Chiemeka and Aleksandravicius, tipoff the 2012-13 with a trip to North Carolina for the preseason WNIT. The Tar Heels were 20-11 a year ago and won the 2008 preseason WNIT. The event guarantees a minimum of three games for the Wildcats, with the second and third rounds taking place Nov. 11-19.
Thanksgiving weekend has the Wildcats traveling to Rutgers for a contest Sunday, Nov. 25. It will be the first matchup against the Scarlet Knights, who finished 22-10 and were ranked No. 23 in the final Associated Press Top 25 poll. They bring in the third-best recruiting class nationally, according to ESPNU HoopGuriz.com.
November finishes out with a trip to Mercer, which Davidson defeated 75-60 last year, before the Wildcats have their home opener with a Saturday, Dec. 1, contest against Georgia Southern. This will also open up Southern Conference play. The Wildcats have won 16 of the last 18 meetings against the Eagles.
Following the matchup against GSU, Davidson has five straight non-conference tilts to close out December. First up is a home game against High Point, Dec. 5, and then its four road contests in a row. Davidson takes Florida native Calin home with a trip to Miami for the first time, Dec. 8, and then goes to Gardner-Webb five days later. The Hurricanes finished ranked eighth in the AP Top 25 poll and 11th in the USA Today/ESPN after going 26-6 and reaching the NCAA Tournament for the second year in a row.
The 'Cats and 49ers battle each other for the first since 2008 when they take to the hardwood before Christmas, Dec. 21, down at Charlotte's Halton Arena. Davidson trails the all-time series, 11-10.
The month concludes with a big trip to Tennessee for another first-time matchup for the Wildcat program. The Vols, an eight-time NCAA champion, will be under the guidance of first-year head coach Holly Warlick, who takes over for Hall of Fame coach Pat Summit. Tennessee, which finished seventh in the USA Today/ESPN poll, is coming off a 27-9 campaign and reached the Elite Eight for an NCAA-record 25th time.
The new calendar year opens up with a showdown at Belk Arena, Jan. 5, against Appalachian State, which shared the regular season title with Davidson. ASU went 27-7 last year and reached the WNIT Sweet 16. The Wildcats had the Mountaineers number last year, taking both meetings during the regular season.
The remainder of the schedule over the next two months will be against the league, featuring eight home games where Davidson went a school-best 12-1 last year.
The SoCon Tournament is in Asheville, N.C., March 8-11. Last season the top-seeded 'Cats reached the semifinals for the first time since 2007 when they got a bye into the quarterfinals and then captured a 69-58 triumph over Wofford. Their tournament run ended with a defeat to eventual champion Samford. In its 19 appearances since joining the SoCon in 1993-94, Davidson has gone 12-19, reaching the semifinals eight times and the final once.
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