Sept. 22, 2010

2010-11 Atlantic 10 Opponent Information | Complete 2010-11 Schedule

PITTSBURGH - Duquesne women's basketball head coach Suzie McConnell-Serio's Dukes will face seven Atlantic 10 teams that saw the post-season last year as part of their 2010-11 conference schedule released today.

"Coming off a strong non-conference schedule will prepare us for 14 difficult Atlantic 10 Conference games," said McConnell-Serio. "Once again, the A-10 is going to be one of the most competitive conferences in women's basketball."

After a 15-game non-conference schedule, concluding with The City Game on Jan. 2 versus Pittsburgh, Duquesne will play a 14-game conference schedule, with one home-and-home series with St. Bonaventure.

The Dukes will start league play on Jan. 8 at home against the Bonnies. In what has developed into the one of the league's most intense rivalries, DU and SBU have split their home-and-home series each of the past two seasons with the road team winning each time.

The conference road opener is Jan. 15 at Dayton. The Flyers are coming off its first-ever NCAA Championship appearance and 25 win season. Additionally, this game will be aired on the CBS College Sports Network.

Richmond will visit the Palumbo Center on Jan. 19. Last season, the Dukes used an early 24-0 run in the second half to take a 79-60 win over the Spiders at the Robins Center. UR made it to the second round of the WNIT last year.

Duquesne will head to Philadelphia on Jan. 22 to take on La Salle. The Dukes surrendered only 40 points against the Explorers in its 29-point win last season.

On Jan. 26, DU will be in the nation's capital when they visit George Washington. The Dukes defeated the Colonials twice last season - a 66-64 win at Palumbo and a 61-58 overtime victory on the opening round of the Atlantic 10 Championship.

The Dukes return home on Jan. 29 to host Fordham. Duquesne has won 10 of its last 12 games against the Rams.

DU will visit Massachusetts on Feb. 2. Duquesne used a 12-3 overtime period to defeat the Minutewomen last season.

Temple comes to town on Feb. 5. The Owls, who lost a heartbreaking overtime game in the 2010 A-10 championship game, are coming off an NCAA Championship appearance where they advanced to the second round before falling to eventual champion Connecticut.

Duquesne will host Saint Louis on Feb. 9. The Dukes defeated the Billikens at Chaifetz Arena last season to become the first road team to win a game in the series.

The back-half of the home-and-home with St. Bonaventure is Feb. 12. SBU advanced to the second round of the WNIT last season.

WNIT qualifier Saint Joseph's will visit Palumbo on Feb. 16. The Hawks were one of three teams to tie Duquesne for fourth place last season in the A-10 standings.

Duquesne will be on television when they visit Xavier on Feb. 20. The Musketeers are coming off a season that saw them go 14-0 in the A-10 regular season and win the conference championship. XU finished last season 30-4 and was a buzzer-beater away from advancing into the Final Four. Xavier finished with an RPI ranking of 9 last season.

The final road game of the conference season is at Charlotte on Feb. 23. In last season's conference opener, Vanessa Abel converted both foul shots with 0.3 seconds remaining in the second overtime to lead the Dukes to a 70-68 victory. The 49ers advanced to the second round of the WNIT last year.

The conference regular season concludes with a home game versus Rhode Island on Feb. 26. The Dukes have won three straight over the Rams.

The 2011 Atlantic 10 Championship will be played will be played at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Massachusetts, March 4-7. First round action of the Championship tips off on Friday, March 4, with the top four teams earning a bye. Quarterfinal play continues on Saturday, March 5, with the Semifinal round on Sunday, March 6 on the CBS College Sports Network. The championship game will be held on Monday, March 7, and televised live on ESPN2 at 5:00pm ET.

SCHEDULE NOTES

• Duquesne's conference opponents combined for an overall record of 210-197 (.516) in 2009-10
  
• Of the seven opponents that qualified for either the NCAA or WNIT, six won at least one game in the post-season
  
• Duquesne has won its last five televised games - the last was against George Washington on Feb. 6, 2010 during Pittsburgh's record snowfall
  
• This is the second consecutive season the Atlantic 10 has issued a neutral site for its championship - last season the event was held at the Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md.