Providence Women’s Basketball Team Faces Challenging Road Stretch to Start 2024-25 Season

Get ready to track the Providence women’s basketball team as they embark on a demanding start to the 2024-25 season. For a month starting in early November, the Friars will be largely absent from their home court at Alumni Hall.

The season kicks off with three consecutive home games, but Providence will then hit the road for seven of their next eight contests, including five distinct away trips. A standout highlight of their road trip is the Cancun Challenge, where the Friars will compete against VCU, Wisconsin, and San Diego State from November 28-30. This event will take place at the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya, coinciding with the Thanksgiving holiday.

The teams Providence will face during the Cancun Challenge have varied recent successes: VCU ended last season with a 28-6 record and participated in the inaugural Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament; Wisconsin finished 15-17 and reached the WNIT quarterfinals; and San Diego State, with a 22-13 record, lost in the Mountain West Tournament final.

Prior to this, Providence will test themselves with games at Vermont, Boston College, and Dayton. Vermont, with a 25-12 record last season, advanced to the WNIT semifinals. Both Boston College and Dayton, while falling short of .500 records, bring strong conference pedigrees to the challenge.

The Friars’ preseason includes an exhibition against Southern Connecticut State on October 29 and an official season opener against Division II Mercy University on November 4. They will face Columbia on November 8, a team that earned an NCAA Tournament at-large bid last season but has since lost standout guard Abbey Hsu.

During their extensive road stretch, Providence will host Delaware before resuming local rivalries. They will visit the University of Rhode Island on December 4 and seek to build on their previous win against the Rams. On December 7, they will host Brown, aiming to bounce back from a loss last season.

The non-conference schedule concludes with games against Penn State and Merrimack. Penn State, a WNIT semifinalist with a 22-win season, presents a tough challenge, while Merrimack, with a 12-19 record, might provide a less daunting end to the nonconference slate as Providence transitions into Big East play.

Under Erin Batth’s second year as head coach, the Friars are bolstering their roster with valuable experience, including 10 graduate students and seniors. Providence finished 13-21 overall last season and 6-12 in conference play, concluding with losses to Connecticut and Colgate in postseason tournaments.

Details on game times and broadcast information will be announced later. Traditionally, Providence offers TV and streaming options through Fox Sports and FloSports. The Cancun Challenge games are scheduled to be played at 11 a.m.

The Friars recently completed a summer tour of Greece and Croatia, with standout performances from Grace Efosa. Coach Batth and men’s basketball coach Kim English will also be participating in various promotional events, including a first pitch at Fenway Park on September 10 and the conference basketball media day at Madison Square Garden on October 23.