The BG women’s basketball team will tip-off its season this Saturday, Nov. 2 in an exhibition match, hosting Tiffin University.
The Falcons begin their season with what head coach Jennifer Roos calls a “very difficult non-conference schedule.”
They begin their regular season Nov. 8 at the Iona Tipoff Tournament in New Rochelle, N.Y., against the University of Michigan. On Nov. 9 the Falcons will face either Iona College or the University of Arizona as part of the tournament.
Roos said they scheduled difficult non-conference opponents to prepare for a tough Mid-American Conference this year.
“In my opinion, of all the years that I’ve been in this conference, the conference from top to bottom is by far this year the toughest,” Roos said. “Having six teams go to post-season play last year and have over 20 wins each, I think you can [expect to] see the same, if not more.”
In order to prepare for their tough season, Roos said her team will need to have “rigorous” practices that are as “game-like as possible” in order to be prepared. Teams were able to begin practicing at the beginning of summer this season, so Roos said that the additional preparation time has put her team ahead of where they normally are at this time.
A 10-second backcourt rule and a tighter hand-check rule are just two of the rule changes being implemented into women’s basketball this season. Roos said these rule changes will create a “brand new ball game” that encourages more freedom of movement to increase overall scoring. She added that with these rules, players could find themselves in foul trouble much earlier. As a result, Roos said her team may be forced to turn to zone defense much earlier than they traditionally do.
The Falcons have a roster of 12 players for the 2013-14 season. They are currently down to 10 players with the Leah Bolton and Kennedy Kirkpatrick injuries.
Roos said each of those remaining 10 players have seen significant minutes in the two scrimmages the Falcons have had so far. She added that she expects her bench to have an expanded role this season with the rule changes.
“In my opinion, with all of the new rule changes that are occurring in women’s basketball, being a deep team is going to be more necessary than any other years,” Roos said. “I like where we are right now. [I am] cautiously optimistic with how well we’re getting contributions from our starters and our bench so far.”
The Falcons exhibition match Saturday against Tiffin is part of a double-header with the men’s basketball team at the Stroh Center. The men’s game against Malone will begin at 2 p.m. The women’s game will follow and is set to tipoff at 4:30 p.m.
