Sweet 16 Vanderbilt and five other NCAA Qualifiers Highlight 2005-06 Slate

                                               

PHILADELPHIA, PA - The La Salle University Women's Basketball team released its schedule for the 2005-06 season, and it will feature nine teams that made postseason tournaments last season, including five that made the NCAA Women's Basketball Championships.

 

Vanderbilt, from the Southeastern Conference, visits Tom Gola Arena on Thursday, December 22 and was one of the best schools in the country last year. The Commodores made it to the Sweet 16 in the 2005 NCAA's, but were stopped by finalist Michigan State, and will be ranked among the Top 20 for the upcoming season.

 

Other 2005 NCAA Tournament teams on the Explorers schedule include Atlantic 10 schools George Washington and Temple, who each won its first-round contest, and Texas Arlington (Southland), and Richmond (A-10). 

 

Delaware, out of the Colonial Athletic Association, Villanova (Big East), Charlotte (C-USA), and Xavier (A-10) qualified for the 2005 NIT, and the Explorers will also travel to Big 12 Conference member Kansas.

 

The La Salle season will feature a trip to Tampa, Florida to start the season, as they take part in the South Florida Shootout on Nov. 19-20, with the Explorers taking on Tennessee-Martin in their first game.

 

A double-header with the men's team on Dec. 20 will open the Big 5 season, which will see the Explorers host three of the four schools this year (Villanova - Dec. 20; Temple - Jan. 8; Pennsylvania - Jan. 24).

 

The season also includes an Atlantic 10 Television Network game at first-year member Charlotte, January 29, and the Explorers will visit new member St. Louis, February 3, as well.

 

With the additions, the Atlantic 10 has adopted a new scheduling model with all 14 teams competing in one division.  Each team will face three opponents twice and the other 10 once in a 16-game schedule.  La Salle's home-and-home opponents will be Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Saint Joseph's.  The top 12 league finishers will participate in the Atlantic 10 Championship at Saint Joseph's University's Alumni Fieldhouse on March 3-6.