Women's Basketball: 14-Game Home Slate Highlights Knights '12-'13 Schedule
Randolph Center, VT – A fourteen game home slate highlights the Vermont Technical College 29-game women's basketball schedule for the 2012/13 regular season. The women are hoping to raise their 2011/12 record that saw them finish 6-18, while constantly improving and winning their final regular season contest at SUNY Canton.
Second-year Head Coach Alex Winnicker brings in a strong recruiting class and looks to increase the profile of Lady Knights' basketball in the Yankee Small College Conference, the YSCC and beyond. Despite the record, the Knights saw many encouraging signs last year, including finishing 4th nationally in scoring defense, allowing only 51.1 points per game in 2011/12.
This year, the YSCC has a two-division system for both men's and women's basketball. The East consists of Central Maine Community College, Eastern Maine Community College, Northern Maine Community College, Southern Maine Community College, Unity College, University of Maine-Machias, and University of Maine-Augusta, while the West contains NHTI, the College of St. Joseph's (VT), Hampshire College, Nashua Community College, Paul Smith's College and Vermont Tech. Within the division, each team plays each other twice, while cross-divisional rivalries will meet once. The top four teams per division advance to the YSCC playoffs Elite Eight. The winner of the playoffs receives an automatic bid to the United State Collegiate Athletic Association National Championship held February 26-March 2, 2013 in Uniontown, PA.
In addition, the USCAA voted this summer to divide the women's basketball teams into two divisions for the first time. This follows the same pattern that was conducted for the men a few years ago. Division I is demarcated for athletic scholarship granting institutions, while Division II is restricted to schools that do not grant such scholarships. The Vermont Tech women follow the men as they will be competing in Division II.
The Knights have to be on their game early as they begin the season with an important YSCC matchup at home against Hampshire College on Sunday, Nov. 4th at 1:00pm. The team then travels to Boston, MA to take on the Fisher College Falcons on the 7th before coming back home for a Saturday/Sunday (Nov. 10/11) home-stand pitting the Knights against YSCC foes Eastern Maine Community College and Unity College, games at 4pm and 11am, respectively. After the weekend, the Lady Knights do not return home for a game until Dec. 5, when they will take on perennial rival NHTI in the last game of the first semester. Between the home dates, VTC travels to some new grounds, including taking on NCAA DIII Lesley College in Cambridge, MA and taking a road trip to New York City on the Monday/Tuesday before Thanksgiving. While in New York, the Knights face NCAA DIII Medgar Evers College and USCAA opponent Berkeley College (NY).
The Lady Knights begin the second semester with four non-conference matchups. First they head on the road versus SUNY Canton on Jan. 5, before opening up at home on Jan. 7 against University of Maine Fort Kent. SUNY Canton then returns the trip of the Knights by coming into Randolph on Jan. 11, followed by another road trip to Boston to battle Pine Manor College on Saturday, Jan. 13. The rest of January sees YSCC home contests with Nashua (14th), Maine-Machias (16th), Southern Maine (19th), and closes with St. Joseph's (VT) (27th).
February has four home games, three non-conference against Pine Manor College (2nd), Fisher College (7th) and University of Maine-Presque Isle (9th), with one against YSCC Conference opponent Central Maine (10th). The season concludes with what could be a huge, YSCC playoff-deciding matchup at NHTI on Feb. 12.
The YSCC Tournament, hosted by Central Maine, tips-off with the Elite Eight on February 15th, 2013 and continues through the 18th.
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