JMU women’s basketball schedule released

The James Madison women’s basketball team announced the addition of a non-conference game as well as the full Colonial Athletic Association schedule for 2013-14.

Along with announcing his team’s 2013-14 CAA slate, head coach Kenny Brooks revealed JMU travels down to Chapel Hill, N.C., for a 2 p.m. game on Jan. 2 against North Carolina.

“We are extremely excited about the addition of UNC to our already challenging schedule,” Coach Brooks stated.  “Our goal every year is to be one of the best programs in the country and, to be one of the best, you have to play the best.  UNC is a storied program with a Hall of Fame coach, and this opportunity will only help us prepare for CAA play.”

The Dukes are the final team to start conference play, taking their regular season bye during the opening week of the slate.  They open the schedule at home on Sunday, Jan. 12, against reigning CAA champion Delaware.

“With an unbalanced CAA schedule, we had the unique situation of a bye at the beginning of our league schedule, which would have given us a two-week break from the non-conference to the start of conference play,” Coach Brooks pointed out.  “This game helps fill in that gap as well as gives us an opportunity to play an elite program.”

JMU hits the road for back-to-back games at Towson (Jan. 16) and Hofstra (Jan. 19) before returning home for a Jan. 23 match-up against Drexel.  The Dukes head to UNCW on Jan. 26 and close out the month at the JMU Convocation Center on Jan. 31 against CAA-newcomer College of Charleston in a rare Friday night tipoff.

February opens with a trip to William & Mary on Tuesday, Feb. 4, marking the first of three games in a six-day span for Madison.

Following the trip to Williamsburg, JMU opens its longest home stretch of the conference schedule with three CAA opponents heading to Harrisonburg.  Northeastern starts the home stand on Feb. 7 with Towson following on Feb. 9 and UNCW wrapping up the slate on Feb. 13.

JMU spends three of the next four games on the road, beginning with a trip to 2013 CAA runner-up Drexel on Feb. 16 game. Feb. 20 marks the Dukes’ visit to Delaware while the inaugural trip to the College of Charleston as conference rivals takes place on Feb. 27.

Hofstra journeys to the JMU Convocation Center for a Feb. 23 game to break up the Dukes’ travels.

The home finale for JMU is slated for March 2 against William & Mary before the Dukes close out the regular season on March 5at Northeastern.

The nine-team CAA women’s basketball tournament returns to The Show Place Arena in Upper Marlboro, Md., March 13-16.

Season tickets are on sale now at JMUSports.com.  The Dukes host an exhibition game against Lenoir-Rhyne on Nov. 3 at 12 p.m.and open the regular season at home against Virginia on Nov. 8 at 7 p.m.