Sept. 14, 2011

First-year head coach Sarah Behn, well familiar with the rigors of the Northeast-10 Conference, will have an immediate idea where her team stands as the 2011-12 UMass Lowell women’s basketball schedule was announced Wednesday.

Over the first three weeks of the season, UMass Lowell will face two teams – No. 20 Holy Family University and No. 8 Bentley – which were ranked in the final WBCA/ESPN/USA Today Division II Top 25 Poll, as well as Franklin Pierce, which received votes.

“I am optimistic,” said Behn, who replaced 26-year head coach Kathy O’Neil in March. “We have a nice group of players who offer leadership and size and they are ready to work hard. We are going to be up for the challenge, but I think we may experience some growing pains.”

UMass Lowell returns four starters and 13 veterans from the 2010-11 team which went 9-18 overall and 8-14 in the NE-10 (tied for 10th). The River Hawks advanced to the NE-10 Tournament where they fell in the first round at Saint Michael’s, 74-59.

UMass Lowell opens the season on Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 12-13, at home as part of the Northeast-10 Conference/Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) Challenge. The River Hawks face Felician College Nov. 12 and Holy Family Nov. 13 in the predetermined pairings.

UMass Lowell opens its NE-10 schedule on Nov. 16 at Bentley (28-5 last year), the 2010-11 NE-10 regular season and tournament champion, which is kicks off a challenging month: Three of four games – at Bentley, at Saint Michael’s Nov. 22, home against Southern New Hampshire Nov. 27 and at Stonehill Nov. 30 – are away from home.

The River Hawks visit Merrimack on Dec. 3 then host Saint Anselm and NE-10 runner-up Franklin Pierce on Dec. 7 and 10 to end the semester. Over the intercession, UMass Lowell enters the C.W. Post Shootout, facing Post University Dec. 29 and the University of District of Columbia Dec. 30.

The River Hawks open the New Year at home with a Jan. 3 clash with American International, and following away games at Southern Connecticut and Adelphi, play four of the remaining six in January at home.

UMass Lowell ends the season on Feb. 22 at home against Bentley.

The NE-10 Tournament is slated for Sunday, Feb. 27 through Sunday, Mar. 4. The NCAA Tournament selections will be held Sunday Mar. 4 with the East Regional beginning Friday Mar. 9.