INDIANAPOLIS -- The race for the Horizon League women’s basketball title will begin on January 8, 2013 as the League announced its conference women’s basketball schedule on Friday. Each of the nine Horizon League teams will play the others twice - for a total of 16 conference games - over a nine-week span culminating on March 9.
The first conference game of the 2012-13 season will be a rematch of last season’s tournament championship game as Detroit and Green Bay faceoff in the first League game on Tuesday, Jan. 8 in Green Bay. The Phoenix won the conference regular season and tournament titles last season, while the Titans finished second in the regular season and advanced to the championship game against Green Bay. GB’s only conference loss the last two seasons was to Detroit last year in Green Bay when the Titans knocked off the ninth-ranked Phoenix, 70-58, in the Kress Center. The two team’s second meeting of the regular season will be in Detroit on Thursday, Feb. 28.
Green Bay will be led by head coach Kevin Borseth, who returns to the Phoenix after spending the last five seasons as head coach at the University of Michigan. Borseth compiled a 216-62 record from 1998-2007 as head coach of Green Bay.
Last season’s Co-Newcomers of the Year, Detroit’s Shareta Brown and Wright State’s Kim Demmings, will see each other for the first time next season on Thursday, Jan. 17 in Dayton. The two sophomores ranked first (Demmings, 18.4) and second (Brown, 18.0) last season in scoring by freshmen in NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball in helping lead their teams to postseason bids (Detroit, WNIT; Wright State, WBI). Detroit hosts the Raiders in the second matchup of the season on Thursday, Feb. 14.
Those are just a few of the highly anticipated games for the season. Other key matchups on the schedule include opening week when Milwaukee’s new head coach, Kyle Rechlicz,begins League play by hosting Demmings and Wright State (Jan. 10), while Valparaiso’s new head coach, Tracey Dorow, opens the conference seasons with a home matchup against Youngstown State (Jan. 12) Loyola opens league-play by hosting crosstown rival UIC (Jan. 12) and Green Bay caps the first week when it hosts Wright State (Jan. 12).
Some rivalry games of note include, Youngstown State at Cleveland State (Jan. 24; with the return game at YSU on Feb. 21), Milwaukee at Green Bay (Feb. 9; the return game at Milwaukee on Mar. 9) and Loyola at UIC (Mar. 9).
Five All-League performers return - Brown, Demmings, Shalonda Winton (Cleveland State), Adrian Ritchie (Green Bay) and Brandi Brown (Youngstown State) - in 2012-13.
The composite League schedule follows.
Tuesday, Jan. 8
Detroit at Green Bay
Wednesday, Jan. 9
Cleveland State at UIC
Thursday, Jan. 10
Wright State at Milwaukee
Saturday, Jan. 12
Detroit at Cleveland State
UIC at Loyola
Wright State at Green Bay
Youngstown State at Valparaiso
Wednesday, Jan. 16
Detroit at Wright State
Loyola at Valparaiso
Thursday, Jan. 17
Green Bay at Cleveland State
Milwaukee at Youngstown State
Saturday, Jan. 19
Green Bay at Youngstown State
Milwaukee at Cleveland State
Valparaiso at UIC
Wright State at Loyola
Thursday, Jan. 24
Loyola at Detroit
UIC at Wright State
Valparaiso at Milwaukee
Youngstown State at Cleveland State
Saturday, Jan. 26
Green Bay at Valparaiso
Loyola at Youngstown State
UIC at Detroit
Monday, Jan. 28
Green Bay at Wright State
Thursday, Jan. 31
Cleveland State at Detroit
Loyola at Milwaukee
Valparaiso at Wright State
Youngstown State at UIC
Saturday, Feb. 2
Cleveland State at Valparaiso
Detroit at Milwaukee
UIC at Green Bay
Sunday, Feb. 3
Youngstown State at Wright State
Thursday, Feb. 7
Detroit at Youngstown State
Green Bay at Loyola
Milwaukee at UIC
Wright State at Cleveland State
Saturday, Feb. 9
Cleveland State at Loyola
Milwaukee at Green Bay
Valparaiso at Detroit
Monday, Feb. 11
UIC at Cleveland State
Wednesday, Feb. 13
Valparaiso at Loyola
Wright State at Detroit
Thursday, Feb. 14
Cleveland State at Green Bay
Youngstown State at Milwaukee
Saturday, Feb. 16
Cleveland State at Milwaukee
Loyola at Wright State
UIC at Valparaiso
Youngstown State at Green Bay
Thursday, Feb. 21
Detroit at Loyola
Milwaukee at Valparaiso
Wright State at UIC
Youngstown State at Cleveland State
Saturday, Feb. 23
Detroit at UIC
Milwaukee at Wright State
Valparaiso at Green Bay
Youngstown State at Loyola
Monday, Feb. 25
Loyola at Cleveland State
Thursday, Feb. 28
Green Bay at Detroit
Milwaukee at Loyola
UIC at Youngstown State
Wright State at Valparaiso
Saturday, Mar. 2
Green Bay at UIC
Milwaukee at Detroit
Valparaiso at Cleveland State
Wright State at Youngstown State
Monday, Mar. 4
Valparaiso at Youngstown State
Thursday, Mar. 7
Cleveland State at Wright State
Loyola at Green Bay
UIC at Milwaukee
Youngstown State at Detroit
Saturday, Mar. 9
Detroit at Valparaiso
Green Bay at Milwaukee
Loyola at UIC