Aug. 19, 2008

Fort Wayne, IN – The IPFW Mastodons have announced their 2008-09 schedule, and it is filled with successful teams from a season ago, including four teams that took part in post-season play, three of those coming in the NCAA Tournament.

The non-conference schedule features teams from some of the premier women’s basketball conferences in the country including the Big 10, Big 12, Mid-American Conference (MAC), Horizon League, Ohio Valley Conference (OVC), Atlantic 10 and the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). Overall, those teams have a combined 204-143 record, with only one non-conference opponent having a sub-.500 record.

The ‘Dons open their regular season hosting four of their first five games, including Big 10 tournament runner-up and NIT participant Illinois (20-15 in 2007-08) and Horizon Tournament quarterfinalist Butler (20-10). After the two home games, the team travels to Oxford, Ohio, where they will face off against MAC tournament champion and NCAA Tournament participant Miami (23-11).

Back-to-back home games against MAAC tournament semifinalist Fairfield (22-9) and MAC Tournament runner-up Toledo (14-16) follow, before the team opens a four-game, 11-day road trip starting with a trip to St. Bonaventure (18-12). A weekend conference-opening road swing to UMKC and Southern Utah provide the middle of the stretch, with the end cap of the trip coming against Eastern Illinois (19-13), a member of the OVC.

A home game against Duquesne (15-15) and a road trip to Wright State (16-16), the Horizon League tournament runner-up round out the 2008 calendar year, with the team hosting South and North Dakota State to open the 2009 portion of their schedule.

Another road trip, starting with NCAA Tournament second-round participant Iowa State (21-13), opens a string of three road games, as the squad travels south for games against Centenary and defending Summit League tournament champion Oral Roberts. A home contest against Oakland sets the stage for the team’s final non-conference game of the season, a trip to Chicago State (16-13). IUPUI and Western Illinois each make their way to Fort Wayne over the following weekend, before the ‘Dons make the long stretch to the Dakota’s, North Dakota State a weekend after.

Back-to-back home games against Oral Roberts and Centenary set up a three-game road trip, as IPFW travels to Oakland, Western Illinois and IUPUI before capping the regular season with a pair of home games against Southern Utah and UMKC.