STATESBORO - Georgia Southern Head Women's Basketball Coach Anita Howard announced the Eagles' 2021-22 non-conference schedule on Thursday. The Eagles will face 12 non-conference opponents, with seven of the 12 games taking place at Hanner Fieldhouse.
The Eagles will tune up for the new campaign with an exhibition contest against Allen on Thursday, November 4. The regular season opener for Georgia Southern will be on Thursday, November 11, as the Eagles visit Auburn. It will be the sixth meeting in the series against the SEC foe and the first since 2013. Georgia Southern is 1-5 all-time against the Tigers.
"I'm really excited about our non-conference schedule," Coach Howard said. "I think it's going to prepare us well for a very competitive Sun Belt schedule. We start the schedule with Auburn, and to be the best you have to beat the best. I know they have a new coach, but she's coming from a winning tradition. It'll be a really good test of where we are and where we want to be."
The 2021-22 home opener for Georgia Southern will be on Saturday, November 13, as the Eagles host Fort Valley State at Noon. On Wednesday, November 13, Georgia Southern hosts FIU in a 3 p.m. matchup at Hanner.
The Eagles will then journey to California for a pair of games on the west coast. Georgia Southern plays at San Diego State on Saturday November 20, and then San Diego Christian on Tuesday, November 22.
Georgia Southern returns home for Thanksgiving weekend, hosting the GATA Turkey Throwdown on Friday and Saturday, November 26 and 27. Friday's action will see the Eagles play South Carolina State at 1 p.m., then Indiana State and Jacksonville State play at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, South Carolina State plays Jacksonville State at 1 p.m. and the Eagles will wrap up the tournament by playing Indiana State at 3:30 p.m.
"Our big Thanksgiving tournament, we're hosting it for the first time this year," Coach Howard said. "It's going to be an exciting classic. Fans are going to see different teams with different styles of play, and it should be a great event."
The final game of November sees Georgia Southern visit the College of Charleston on Tuesday, November 30. After a break for final exams, the Eagles close out the non-conference slate with three of four games at Hanner. On Saturday, December 11, Gardner-Webb comes to Hanner for a 2 p.m. contest. After a one-year absence due to COVID-19, Kids Field Trip Day returns to Hanner, this time on Monday, December 13, vs. Carver College at 11 a.m.
The Eagles visit Kennesaw State on Friday, December 17, before hosting Bethune-Cookman on Sunday, December 19, to wrap up the non-conference slate of 12 contests, seven of which will be in Hanner Fieldhouse.
"One of our goals this season is that we want to break the attendance record," Coach Howard said. "We're going to do everything in our power to put a great product on the court, but we're also going to get out in the community and do our best to get them to want to come and support us. We want to maximize home court advantage by allowing our ladies to see success early and grow comfortable in their roles. With so many home contests, it will give our team that confidence with both Eagle Nation and the Hanner Hooligans behind us. I'm hopeful that we'll be more confident from playing inside Hanner and that we will build upon it as we get ready for conference play."
Season tickets for Georgia Southern women's basketball are available by dialing 1-800-GSU-WINS or by visiting the Georgia Southern Ticketing Website at gsathletics.com/tickets.
