Clemson Women?s Basketball Announces 2015-16 Schedule

CLEMSON, S.C. – Five of the top 10 ranked teams in last season’s final USA Today Coaches Poll can be found on Clemson’s 2015-16 women’s basketball schedule, released Wednesday. In total, the Tigers will face nine teams this season that appeared in the 2015 NCAA Tournament, including two teams, Notre Dame and South Carolina, that reached the tournament’s Final Four.

The Tigers will play all home contests, including games against nationally-ranked Duke, Florida State and South Carolina, in Jervey Gym in 2015-16, as Littlejohn Coliseum undergoes renovations. Admission to all women’s basketball home games will be free this season, and seating will be general admission. A voucher system may be used for admission to specific home games throughout the year, for which additional information will be released at a later date.

Clemson faces four in-state foes (Charleston Southern, Coastal Carolina, South Carolina and Furman) in November before traveling to Eugene, Ore. to take on the Oregon Ducks in an early nonconference road test. The Tigers spend the weekend after Thanksgiving at the UCF Tournament in Orlando, Fla. before rounding out their nonconference slate with four out of six December games at home in Jervey Gym.

The Atlantic Coast Conference season opens against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the sight of Clemson’s last win vs. a ranked opponent, as Clemson defeated #21 North Carolina on January 12, 2012 in Chapel Hill. The remainder of the team’s ACC slate is highlighted by home contests against NCAA tournament teams such as Miami, Florida State, Duke and Pittsburgh. The Tigers round out the 2015-16 season with trips to Head Coach Audra Smith’s alma mater, Virginia, and perennial power Notre Dame before ending the regular season with a home contest against NC State.

Smith is entering her third season at the helm of the Clemson program. The Tigers return eight letterwinners from the 2014-15 team, including two starters in sophomores Cha’nelle Perry and MaKayla Johnson. Junior Paige Mosley is the only upperclassman on the roster, which also includes seven sophomores and six freshmen.