Cal Poly Women’s Basketball Releases 2023-24 Schedule
9/20/2023 2:55:00 PM | Women's Basketball
2023-24 SCHEDULE
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Highlighted by 13 home games, second-year head coach Shanele Stires and the Cal Poly women's basketball program announced its 2023-24 schedule Wednesday. This year's schedule is comprised of 10 non-conference games and 20 conference games. The Mustangs have put together a very rigorous non-conference schedule as they only play two regular season games out of the 10 at home and go against some tough competition, including four teams out of the PAC-12 Conference. "We love to challenge ourselves in the preseason," Stires said of the non-conference schedule. "It's the best way to see what we can do against the best of the best. This schedule is designed to forge cohesion to become a strong road team." Fans will get their first chance to see the 2023-24 Mustangs when they start things off with an exhibition game at Mott Athletics Center on Nov. 2 against Simpson University for the annual 'Field Trip Game' at 11 a.m. which features thousands of local elementary school children who attend. After that, the team will go on the road for the rest of the month of November. They will open the regular season Nov. 6 against Washington State, who won the PAC-12 Tournament title last year. They follow that up with road contests against Idaho and San Jose State before going back into the PAC-12 with road games against Cal and Stanford on Nov. 13 & 16. They finish up November with games at Seattle University and USC. The first regular season home game will take place Dec. 9 against Fresno State, whom Cal Poly beat at their place last year via an Annika Shah buzzer beater. They will be off for a week before facing Montana at home on Dec. 16. They then wrap up non-conference play on the road against Sacramento State on Dec. 21. Overall, the Mustangs will face four teams who made the NCAA Tournament last year during their non-conference schedule in Washington State, Stanford, USC, and Sacramento State. Cal Poly will begin conference play Dec. 28 on the road against CSUN. The Big West home opener will be Dec. 30 against UC Davis at 6 p.m. Some of the notable conference home games include defending Big West champion Hawai'i coming to Mott on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. The annual Blue-Green rivalry game against UCSB will be at Mott on Feb. 29 at 6 p.m. Conference play concludes on March 9 at home against UC San Diego before the Mustangs head to Henderson, Nev. for the Big West Championship March 13-16. It's a fairly new team for the Mustangs in 2023-24 as the team features nine newcomers and four returners. The newcomers are comprised five true freshmen and four Division I transfers. Cal Poly added graduate transfer guard Ania McNicholas from Cornell, who was top-20 in the nation last year in steals, graduate transfer forward Amanda Olinger from University of San Diego where she played in 73 career games, as well as junior transfers Diamond Richardson from Pacific and Sidney Richards from San Jose State. The four returners include junior Annika Shah, last year's leader in scoring and assists, junior Sydney Bourland, the team's leader in minutes last year and second-leading rebounder, senior Natalia Ackerman, last year's team leader in rebounds and blocks, and redshirt freshman Sierra Lichtie, who played in the first eight games of the season last year before suffering a season-ending injury. "We believe we have talented and athletic roster that has great experience, but like any roster with nine new people, we know that our goal is to be playing our best basketball in February and March," Stires said of this year's team. Individual and season tickets for games this season go on sale Friday at GoPoly.com/tickets.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, Calif. — Highlighted by 13 home games, second-year head coach Shanele Stires and the Cal Poly women's basketball program announced its 2023-24 schedule Wednesday. This year's schedule is comprised of 10 non-conference games and 20 conference games. The Mustangs have put together a very rigorous non-conference schedule as they only play two regular season games out of the 10 at home and go against some tough competition, including four teams out of the PAC-12 Conference. "We love to challenge ourselves in the preseason," Stires said of the non-conference schedule. "It's the best way to see what we can do against the best of the best. This schedule is designed to forge cohesion to become a strong road team." Fans will get their first chance to see the 2023-24 Mustangs when they start things off with an exhibition game at Mott Athletics Center on Nov. 2 against Simpson University for the annual 'Field Trip Game' at 11 a.m. which features thousands of local elementary school children who attend. After that, the team will go on the road for the rest of the month of November. They will open the regular season Nov. 6 against Washington State, who won the PAC-12 Tournament title last year. They follow that up with road contests against Idaho and San Jose State before going back into the PAC-12 with road games against Cal and Stanford on Nov. 13 & 16. They finish up November with games at Seattle University and USC. The first regular season home game will take place Dec. 9 against Fresno State, whom Cal Poly beat at their place last year via an Annika Shah buzzer beater. They will be off for a week before facing Montana at home on Dec. 16. They then wrap up non-conference play on the road against Sacramento State on Dec. 21. Overall, the Mustangs will face four teams who made the NCAA Tournament last year during their non-conference schedule in Washington State, Stanford, USC, and Sacramento State. Cal Poly will begin conference play Dec. 28 on the road against CSUN. The Big West home opener will be Dec. 30 against UC Davis at 6 p.m. Some of the notable conference home games include defending Big West champion Hawai'i coming to Mott on Feb. 1 at 2 p.m. The annual Blue-Green rivalry game against UCSB will be at Mott on Feb. 29 at 6 p.m. Conference play concludes on March 9 at home against UC San Diego before the Mustangs head to Henderson, Nev. for the Big West Championship March 13-16. It's a fairly new team for the Mustangs in 2023-24 as the team features nine newcomers and four returners. The newcomers are comprised five true freshmen and four Division I transfers. Cal Poly added graduate transfer guard Ania McNicholas from Cornell, who was top-20 in the nation last year in steals, graduate transfer forward Amanda Olinger from University of San Diego where she played in 73 career games, as well as junior transfers Diamond Richardson from Pacific and Sidney Richards from San Jose State. The four returners include junior Annika Shah, last year's leader in scoring and assists, junior Sydney Bourland, the team's leader in minutes last year and second-leading rebounder, senior Natalia Ackerman, last year's team leader in rebounds and blocks, and redshirt freshman Sierra Lichtie, who played in the first eight games of the season last year before suffering a season-ending injury. "We believe we have talented and athletic roster that has great experience, but like any roster with nine new people, we know that our goal is to be playing our best basketball in February and March," Stires said of this year's team. Individual and season tickets for games this season go on sale Friday at GoPoly.com/tickets.
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