THIBODAUX, La.  – The Nicholls State University women's basketball program announced its 2012-13 schedule on Wednesday, consisting of 11 games at Stopher Gym and 11 non-conference matchups which includes two bouts versus tournament-qualifying teams – DePaul and Texas Tech – and three contests against in-state rivals – New Orleans, Louisiana-Lafayette and ULM.

“I've always put together a very challenging non-conference schedule,” said fifth-year Nicholls women's basketball head coach DoBee Plaisance. “There are three seasons – non-conference, conference and postseason - conference is what will get you into the postseason, and I believe the non-conference is what will prepare you for conference, so I've always been a little overzealous in my scheduling.”

The Colonels, coming off a program-record 15 victories that included their first postseason win, open up their campaign at the Maggie Dixie Classic in Chicago, hosted by DePaul University. The two-day tournament will kick off on Nov. 9, with Nicholls slated to face the Blue Demons, who won 23 games last season and advanced to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a 7-seed.

For the rest of November, Nicholls heads to the Crescent City to take on future conference-foe UNO on the 13th, before opening at home with back-to-back contests against ULM (16th) and Louisiana-Lafayette (19th).  The Colonels close out the month with a three-game slate in the Basketball Travelers Invitational over Thanksgiving Weekend. Nicholls plays host Texas Tech, who earned a bid into the WNIT last season, on the 24th, with the other two matchups TBA. 

After two weeks off, the final three non-conference games will be on the road in December as Nicholls wraps up with Alabama State (14th), Arkansas State (19th) and Texas Southern (29th). The Colonels will be looking to avenge their only non-conference home loss last season, falling to Alabama State 51-47.

The Red and Gray begin 2013 and conference play at home, hosting regular-season defending champion Central Arkansas (Jan.3) and Southland newcomer Oral Roberts (Jan. 5). The Golden Eagles, formerly of the Summit League, are coming off a 20-win season and their third consecutive bid to the WNIT.

Nicholls starts its Southland road schedule with a four-game trip – McNeese (Jan. 7), Southeastern La. (Jan. 12), Northwestern State (Jan. 17) and Stephen F. Austin (Jan. 19) – and plays its final away game of the month at Oral Roberts (31st). Before their second matchup with ORU, the Colonels will host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi (24th) and Sam Houston State (26th).

A road-game at Central Arkansas (2nd) kicks off February, followed by the Colonels' longest home stand of the season. Nicholls will welcome Southeastern La. (9th), Stephen F. Austin (14th) and Northwestern State (16th) before ending the month at Lamar (19th) and Sam Houston (28th).

The final three games in March are a road matchup at Corpus-Christi (2nd) and two home contests with Lamar (7th) and last season's conference-tournament champion McNeese (9th).

The Southland Conference Tournament will be held at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas, starting on March 13. The tournament will feature a new format this season, as the top two teams will receive byes through the first two rounds.

Season tickets for men's and women's basketball will be available for purchase at NichollsTickets.com on a later date.