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Temple Announces 2010-11 Women’s Basketball Non-Conference Schedule

6.21.10 | Women's Basketball

Owls to face five NCAA Tournament teams including Duke Blue Devils

PHILADELPHIA – Five 2010 NCAA Tournament participants including an Elite Eight team await Temple women's basketball during the 2010-11 non-conference season. The Owls will play two strong teams in Pepperdine and UCLA when they head out west for a two-game trip after Thanksgiving.

For the fourth straight year in the regular season and fifth overall, Temple will face ACC powerhouse Duke. This year's match-up is set for Dec. 30 in Durham, N.C.

“You can't take it easy in the non-conference and expect to be prepared for Atlantic 10 and postseason play,” said third-year head coach Tonya Cardoza. “We'll be testing ourselves early and often, and our fans can hopefully look forward to some exciting and very high-level basketball games.”

Temple is coming off a 25-9 season that saw the Owls defeat James Madison in the NCAA First Round before falling to eventual national champ Connecticut in the second round.

The Owls will open the regular season at home Nov. 12 against Ohio State in a doubleheader with the Temple men's basketball team. Ohio State is one of three non-conference opponents to advance at least to the 2009-10 NCAA Second Round.

After a trip to Seton Hall on November 16, the Owls will return home for a pair of games against MAC foes Buffalo and Northern Illinois.

The trip to Malibu, Calif., will put Temple up against Pepperdine on Nov. 26 and UCLA on Nov. 28. Pepperdine was a WNIT participant last season, while UCLA advanced to the NCAA Second Round.

The Owls will continue their tradition of playing longtime regional rival Rutgers on December 1 at home in Philadelphia. After traveling to Auburn and Ohio later that week, Temple will play host to Hartford in its final home game of the 2010 calendar year. Prior to the trip to Durham, the Owls will play at Big 5 rival Villanova on Dec. 19 and head to Eastern Michigan on Dec. 21.

On Jan. 2 Temple will meet its fifth MAC opponent as the Owls take on Akron at home. The Big 5 schedule will be complete for TU on Jan. 22 when the Owls play at city rival Penn.