FAIRFIELD, Conn. – A year after their historic championship season, the Fairfield University Women's Basketball team will continue to test themselves on the national stage with a non-conference schedule that features teams from eight different conferences including three from the Power Five leagues. Fairfield will begin the season on Nov. 4 on the road against SEC member Arkansas while also visiting Big 12 school Oklahoma State (Nov. 16) and ACC squad Wake Forest (Nov. 27). The Stags will also play a pair of Big East teams when they host Villanova (Dec. 8) before traveling to St. John's (Dec. 15).
 
"We have intentionally put together an extremely challenging and competitive non-conference schedule," reigning MAAC Coach of the Year Carly Thibault-DuDonis said. "We understand the unique opportunity at hand to build on what we did last season with an experienced returning group. With 91% of our scoring returning and five talented newcomers, we feel these games not only battle test us early but will also help with post season seeding should we earn our way into the NCAA tournament. We feel that challenging ourselves early will give us the best chance to be successful in post season. This team is hungry and ready to be tested early and often and we can't wait for some exciting matchups in Mahoney Arena!"
 
The reigning MAAC Champions will begin the 2024-25 campaign when they face the Arkansas Razorbacks for the first time in program history. Arkansas garnered an 18-15 overall record last season including a victory over nationally-ranked Florida State. After earning six wins in the SEC, the Hogs earned a spot in the WBIT before falling to Tulsa in the first round.
 
After the quick road trip, the Stags will return home for their 2024-25 home opener when they welcome the reigning Atlantic-10 Champions Richmond at Leo D. Mahoney Arena on Nov. 12. The Spiders mounted an impressive 29-6 overall record last season which featured a 16-2 record in the A-10 while leading to the conference's regular season and tournament championship. Richmond was opposed by seventh-seeded Duke in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The home opener will also serve as the program's Ring Ceremony and Banner Dedication, celebrating the historic 2023-24 campaign.
 
Fairfield will then face another Power-Five opponent when they visit Big 12 member Oklahoma State on Nov. 16, which will also be the first contest between the two schools. The Cowgirls earned 14 wins last campaign which featured impressive victories over TCU and West Virginia. The squad will also return two All-Big 12 players from last season's squad.
 
The Stags will have one more home contest before embarking on another road trip when they host Central Connecticut State on Nov. 20. Fairfield defeated the Blue Devils 78-52 on the road last season which featured a double-double of 22 points and 12 rebounds from Meghan Andersen.
 
Fairfield will then hit the road for another pair of games in two different states, visiting Charleston Southern in South Carolina on Nov. 25 before heading just up north for a contest against ACC member Wake Forest on Nov. 27. The Bucs finished with a .500 record in the Big South for the first time in five years while earning their highest seed in the conference tournament in over a decade.
 
Wake Forest picked up impressive victories over Saint Louis and NCAA Tournament team Marshall last season while also overcoming a 15-point deficit to defeat Virginia in the ACC Tournament. This will be the second all-time meeting between the two schools and the first since 1999 which was a 63-56 Fairfield victory in the season opener.
 
The Stags will then open up a mini two-game homestand when they face Division II member Staten Island on Dec. 3 before highlighting the home slate with a meeting with Villanova on Dec. 8.
 
The Wildcats posted 22 wins last season while advancing to the WBIT Championship Game before falling to Illinois. This will be the 13th meeting between the two schools and the first since 2017 when the Wildcats visited Alumni Hall.
 
Fairfield will close out their non-conference slate when they complete a home and home series with St. John's on Dec. 15. The Red Storm had an 18-15 overall record last season which included a five-point loss to the Stags at Mahoney Arena. St. John's would also earn a spot in the WBIT and end their season in the second round with a setback against Toledo.
 
In total, the Stags will face one NCAA Tournament team and three WBIT squads from a season ago. Fairfield is coming off a historic campaign that saw them win 31 games, including 29 straight culminating in the MAAC Championship and their sixth NCAA Tournament appearance. They also earned the program's first-ever national ranking by the AP Top-25 poll.
 
The Stags return four starters from that historic team which includes 91 percent of their 2,391 points scored, the second-most in any season in school history. The Stags will also return the MAAC Player of the Year in Janelle Brown, the unanimous MAAC Rookie of the Year in Meghan Andersen, and the unanimous MAAC Coach of the Year in Carly Thibault-DuDonis.