ERIE, Pa. – Mercyhurst College women’s basketball coach Deanna Richard has announced the Lakers 2010-11 regular-season schedule today. The slate includes 29 games, including a three-game stand in Fairbanks, Alaska for the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks.
The 2010-11 season was reduced to 26 regular-season games in conjunction with the “NCAA Division II Life in the Balance” initiative. However, in accordance with NCAA regulations, a team is exempt from the maximum schedule limit once in four years for contests in Alaska, Hawai’i or Puerto Rico.
The schedule also features 14 Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Western Division contests and four PSAC crossovers against teams from the Eastern Division. Those crossover contests do not count toward the divisional standings.
The Lakers kick off the 2010-11 season on the first permissible date, hosting Ashland on November 13. Tip-off for the home and season-opener is set for 4 p.m.
From there, Mercyhurst travels to Tiffin, Ohio for the Tiffin Tournament to face former Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference foes Findlay and Tiffin.
Richard’s squad then makes the cross-country trip to Alaska where the Lakers will face off against Dominican (Calif.) on Thanksgiving Day in the first of three games at the Mt. McKinley Bank North Star Invitational. Humboldt State and host Alaska Fairbanks round out schedule.
After an away contest against Urbana on Dec. 2, Mercyhurst finally returns home for the first time since the first game of the season to take on PSAC East opponent Mansfield. Two more road games at Notre Dame College and West Virginia Wesleyan face the Lakers before wrapping up the 2010 portion of the schedule with a home contest against Urbana on Dec. 15.
Mercyhurst returns to action after the New Year’s holiday on the road in PSAC crossover action at Kutztown and East Stroudsburg but return to Erie four days later to host Mansfield and Bloomsburg in the final crossover games.
The action heats up on January 12 as the Lakers travel to Lock Haven for the PSAC Western Division opener. In divisional play, Mercyhurst never has a road trip longer than two games and plays host to a three-game home stand against Indiana (Pa.), Edinboro and Lock Haven.
The Lakers conclude the regular-season with two road games, taking on rival Edinboro before facing IUP in the finale.
Both contests against city rival Gannon will be played midweek, with the first game slated for Jan. 26 at Gannon and the second contest on Feb. 16 at Mercyhurst.
All home games held during the week will be played at 5:30 p.m. and weekend contests will begin at 1 p.m.
To view the full 2010-11 schedule, please click
here.