MACOMB, Ill. – The Western Illinois women's basketball team released its 2019-20 schedule Thursday (Sept. 19), and it consists of four teams with recent NCAA Tournament experience.



Visits from Bradley and Southeast Missouri State and trips to Missouri, Purdue, and Drake highlight the non-league calendar before Summit League play gets underway.

"Our schedule is one of the toughest we have ever played. Playing teams like Mizzou, Purdue, and Drake should help us prepare for an incredibly competitive conference season," said coach JD Gravina. "I love continuing regional rivalries against teams such as Bradley, Illinois State, SEMO, and Indiana State. I'm excited to see what we can accomplish with such great competition."



Playing a 29-game regular season for the second straight year, the Leathernecks are scheduled to open their slate with a trip to Columbia, Mo. Last season, the Leathernecks kept up with the 16th-ranked Mizzou at home, and the home-and-away agreement added another matchup on Nov. 5.

Three straight home games will see Western play host to Culver-Stockton (Nov. 8), Illinois Springfield (Nov.12), and Indiana State (Nov. 14) inside Western Hall, before heading on the road to face Purdue (Nov. 17). The second annual Compass Challenge will once again feature all four cardinal direction schools -- Western, Southern Illinois, Northern Illinois, and Eastern Illinois -- in DeKalb (Dec. 19-20).

This season, WIU will have 14 home games, eight of which feature Summit League competitors. South Dakota will be the first to visit Macomb with a Dec. 29 trip, which will also mark the first of four league doubleheaders with Western's men.

The Summit League Women's Basketball Championship will be held in Sioux Falls, S.D., at the Denny Sanford PREMIER Center. The four-day event begins March 7 and will conclude with the championship game on March 10.



To follow along with the team throughout the season you can visit goleathernecks.com and follow the team on social media on Twitter, and Facebook.