Albany State women open season Nov. 11

ALBANY — After finishing with a 15-13 record and a disappointing exit in the second round of the 2016 SIAC tournament, the Albany State Lady Rams are set to begin their new journey on Nov. 11.

ASU will open its season against in-state rival Valdosta State University at the Valdosta State Invitational. The 2016-2017 campaign will be filled with tough non-conference opponents and traditional favorites in the SIAC.

Albany State’s 26-game slate will begin with five non-conference opponents from the Gulf South and Peach Belt conferences. Games will be played against West Florida (Nov. 12), Georgia Southwestern (Nov. 18), Columbus State (Nov. 19) and Georgia College (Nov. 22) in the early part of the schedule.

ASU has a home-and-home series scheduled with both Georgia College (Dec. 3) and Columbus State (Dec. 6). The University of Tampa, a member of the Sunshine State Conference, will host the Lady Rams on Dec. 19.

On Dec. 1, Albany State will open its 17-game SIAC schedule against LeMoyne-Owen in Albany. Contests against SIAC foes Kentucky State, the 2016 SIAC tournament runner-up (Dec. 29) and Central State (Dec. 30), who eliminated ASU from last year’s tournament, will close the first part of the Lady Rams’ schedule.

Albany State will continue its league play on Jan. 5 against Lane College. Contests against Benedict College, the 2016 SIAC regular season and tournament champions, and archrival Fort Valley State University highlight the SIAC schedule. Both Kentucky State and Benedict also participated in the 2016 NCAA Division II national tournament. Benedict played for the South Region championship.

Albany State will begin postseason play in the 2017 SIAC Women’s Basketball Championship Tournament. The event will be held in Birmingham, Alabama at the Bill Harris Arena.