2012-13 SCHEDULE

West Hartford, Conn. – The University of Hartford women's basketball team will play a 29 game slate in 2012-13 as announced by head coach Jennifer Rizzotti on Tuesday afternoon. Highlighting the Hawks' schedule will be 15 home contests including a date with national powerhouse UConn at the Chase Family Arena at the Reich Family Pavilion.

"This year's non-conference schedule offers us everything we look for in November and December; great competition and - with seven home games - an opportunity to showcase our veteran team to our fans early in the season,” said Rizzotti. “As has been our tradition, we've challenged ourselves early with four or five potential Top 25 opponents in the first two months of the season.”

“With the amount of talented players returning in the America East we wanted our team to be prepared for the rigorous conference slate. This schedule will give our kids the chance to reach their very lofty expectations.”

For the third time in four years, the Hawks will play back-to-back home games to open the season with Loyola (MD) visiting West Hartford on opening night and Marist visiting the Nutmeg State four days later. The season opener against the Greyhounds is scheduled for Friday, November 9 with a 7:00 p.m. tip. The Loyola game will begin a new home-and-home series, one that hasn't been played since the 2006-07 season. This year's meeting will be just the third between the two squads, with Hartford winning both previous contests.

Marist and Hartford continue a series that is in its sixth-straight year on Tuesday, November 13 as the Hawks look to snap a four-game losing skid against the MAAC foe. The last Hartford win came in 2007-08 in Poughkeepsie by a 49-32 defensive battle. Overall, the Red Foxes own a 6-3 record in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1990-91 season.

The Hawks' first road contest comes in the form of a 15 minute ride to New Britain for a date with the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils (November 16). A series that is in its third-straight year continues after each team scored a victory on its home court in each of the last two seasons. Overall, the Hawks hold a 19-13 advantage in the all-time series.

Just two days later, November 18, the Hawks return to West Hartford to welcome Richmond in the return game following the first meeting between the two programs last year. The Spiders opened the all-time series with a 69-56 victory last year. The visit from Richmond leads into the renewal of a series with the UMass Minutewomen. The Hawks will visit Amherst on Wednesday, September 21 beginning a home-and-home series against the Atlantic 10 foe.

Following the trip to the Bay State, the Hawks return to the Reich Family Pavilion for back-to-back home games, the first of which closes out the first month of the season with the St. John's Red Storm. The Hawks and Red Storm began a two-year home-and-home series last season with a 70-45 victory for St. John's. Overall, the all-time series is tied at two wins apiece. Following St. John's, the Hawks welcome a second-straight Big East opponent to the Constitution State with a visit from the Providence College Friars on Saturday, December 1. Hartford and Providence have met in each of the last five seasons with the Friars holding a 3-2 advantage during that stretch.

Four contests remain before the Christmas break, the first two of which will come on the road at Vanderbilt and Dartmouth. The first of those games begins a new all-time series against the Commodores. The series opener is scheduled for Thursday, December 6 in Nashville. Last season, the Commodores compiled a 23-10 overall record, earned an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament before falling in the Sweet 16 to the Duke Blue Devils.

The match-up with Dartmouth will mark the 13th meeting in Coach Rizzotti's 14 years at Hartford that the Hawks and Big Green have met. Last year's 60-42 victory in Hanover marked the seventh straight win against the Big Green, having not lost a contest against the IVY League team since the 2002-03 season. This year's meeting will begin a new home-and-home series.

The final two games before the holiday break include home contests against a pair of in-state foes, Quinnipiac and Connecticut. The Hawks and Bobcats renew a home-and-home series that ended following the 2009-10 season. In that series, each team won on their home court. Overall, the Bobcats hold an 11-8 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to the first year of women's basketball at Hartford, 1975-76.

The meeting against Connecticut begins a three-year agreement with the first game to be played in West Hartford. The Huskies and Hawks will tangle on Saturday, December 22 at 1:00 p.m., followed by a men's game against the Marist Red Foxes. In 12 previous meetings, UConn has never lost against Hartford, with the most recent match-up coming in the opening round of the 2011 NCAA Tournament.

Following the holiday hiatus, the Hawks will compete in the annual Terrapin Classic joining Brown and Maryland-Eastern Shore in College Park. The two-day event begins with a Hartford versus Brown match-up on December 28. The host Terrapins will play UMES on day one with the winners facing each other in the championship game on December 29 at 4:30 p.m. with a consolation game to follow.

The Hawks' 16-game conference slate begins just after the New Year with Hartford traveling to Vestal, N.Y. for a date with the Binghamton Bearcats. The Hawks and Bearcats are scheduled to open the league schedule on January 2 in a re-match of last year's quarterfinal game in which the Bearcats eliminated the Hawks from championship contention. The Hawks will then play four of their next six conference games at home, ending that stretch with a visit from New Hampshire on January 23.

Hartford closes out the regular season with two of the final three games on the road. The first two games include mid-week trips to New Hampshire (February 20) and UMBC (February 27) before closing out the season with a visit from the Vermont Catamounts on Saturday, March 2. The 2013 America East Championship is scheduled for March 8-10 at SEFCU Arena on the campus of the University at Albany. The title game, date and time to be determined, will be played at the home court of the highest remaining seed.

All Hartford women's basketball games can be heard live on the flagship station for Hartford women's basketball WWUH 91.3 FM or online at WWUH.org. Amy Lawrence returns for her fourth season as the Voice of the Hawks, with Brian Irizarry also returning for his fourth year offering color commentary. The 2012-13 television schedule will be released at a later date. All home games can also be seen live online through HartfordHawks.com All-Access.

Season tickets for the 2012-13 season are currently available by calling the Malcolm & Brenda Berman Athletics Ticket Office at (860) 768.HAWK (4-2-9-5) or emailing tickets@hartford.edu. Season ticket packages can also be purchased online by visiting HartfordHawksTickets.com.