Sooners Announce Non-Conference Slate

NORMAN – University of Oklahoma women's basketball coach Sherri Coale and Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione announced the Sooners' 2016-17 non-conference schedule Thursday.

The slate features four matchups against teams that participated in the 2016 NCAA Tournament: BYU, Colorado State, Kentucky and South Dakota State. The Sooners will play nine home contests prior to the start of Big 12 play.

“With nine of our 14 non-conference games inside the Lloyd Noble Center, our fans will have plenty of opportunities to watch us develop as a team before we dive into the rigors of Big 12 play,” Coale said. “We will be tested early and often against several elite teams on our home court as well as on the road. While the rugged schedule could be an abrupt entry into the college game for our newcomers, I am confident that our senior leadership will guide their acclimation. The challenges of this pre-conference slate will give us a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow together.”

OU begins with a pair of exhibition contests at Lloyd Noble Center, hosting Midwestern State (Nov. 2) and Oklahoma City (Nov. 7) before starting the regular season. The Sooners take on Southern Illinois on Nov. 13 to open the regular season before facing off against Little Rock on Nov. 16.

The Sooners will face four NCAA Tournament foes in as many games starting with their first road trip of the year to BYU on Nov. 19. OU returns home on Nov. 23 to take on South Dakota State before hosting Colorado State on Nov. 27 at Lloyd Noble Center.

OU hits the road to take on a familiar foe in the 2016 Big 12/SEC Challenge on Dec. 1. The Sooners will return to Lexington, Ky., to face Kentucky, who eliminated OU from last season's NCAA Tournament.

"While the rugged schedule could be an abrupt entry into the college game for our newcomers, I am confident that our senior leadership will guide their acclimation. The challenges of this pre-conference slate will give us a tremendous opportunity to learn and grow together."
— Sherri Coale

The Sooners return to Lloyd Noble Center to begin a three-game homestand on Dec. 4 against in-state foe Oral Roberts. OU will welcome Texas Rio Grande Valley on Dec. 8 before wrapping up its non-conference home slate against Tulsa on Dec. 11.

OU concludes non-conference play by traveling to the 2016 Puerto Rico Classic in San Juan, P.R., Dec. 19-21. The Sooners will face Xavier on Dec. 19, California on Dec. 20 and Portland State on Dec. 21 at the three-day tournament.

The Sooners bring back four starters and 12 returners from last year's team that finished 22-11 and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. OU has made 17 straight NCAA Tournament appearances, the fifth-longest streak in the country.

Tip-off times and broadcast information will be announced at a later date. Season tickets for the 2016-17 OU women's basketball are available now. For more information or to reserve your season tickets, contact the OU Athletics Ticket Office by phone (800) 456-4668 or by clicking here.

The 18-game Big 12 schedule is expected to be announced in August. The 2016 Big 12 Women's Basketball Championship will take place at Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, March 3-6.

For more information on Oklahoma women's basketball, follow the Sooners on Twitter (@OU_WBBall) or like Oklahoma Sooners Women's Basketball on Facebook.

2016-17 Non-Conference Schedule
Date	Opponent	Site	Time (CT)
Nov. 2	Midwestern State (Exh.)	Lloyd Noble Center	7 p.m.
Nov. 7	Oklahoma City (Exh.)	Lloyd Noble Center	7 p.m.
Nov. 13	Southern Illinois	Lloyd Noble Center	TBD
Nov. 16	Little Rock	Lloyd Noble Center	7 p.m.
Nov. 19	at BYU	Provo, Utah	TBD
Nov. 23	South Dakota State	Lloyd Noble Center	7 p.m.
Nov. 27	Colorado State	Lloyd Noble Center	2 p.m.
Dec. 1	at Kentucky ^	Lexington, Ky.	TBD
Dec. 4	Oral Roberts	Lloyd Noble Center	2 p.m.
Dec. 8	Texas Rio Grande Valley	Lloyd Noble Center	7 p.m.
Dec. 11	Tulsa	Lloyd Noble Center	2 p.m.
Dec. 19	Xavier $	San Juan, P.R.	TBD
Dec. 20	California $	San Juan, P.R.	TBD
Dec. 21	Portland State $	San Juan, P.R.	TBD

^ SEC/Big 12 Challenge | $ Puerto Rico Classic | Dates and times subject to change

University of Oklahoma Athletics

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