Women's Basketball to Play Two at STAC to Begin 2024-25 Season

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The University of Bridgeport's women's basketball team will begin its 2024-25 campaign this weekend (Nov. 8-9) with a pair of games at Saint Thomas Aquinas College. The Purple Knights will play against STAC on Friday (3 p.m.) before taking on D'Youville University on Saturday (2 p.m.).

SCOUTING THE OPENERS
It will be a quick turnaround for the Purple Knights as they play on back-to-back days to begin the new year. UB will face a pair of familiar foes from its ECC days.  

STAC posted an 18-12 record a year ago which included a win over UB in February. The Spartans' season ended in the ECC semifinals against Mercy.

D'Youville, meanwhile, lost to that same STAC team in the ECC quarterfinals to end the Saints' season at 9-18 overall. UB and D'Youville haven't played each other since 2021.

THE REST OF THE SCHEDULE
The Purple Knights will make their home debut against Southern Connecticut State next Saturday, Nov. 16. All in all, UB will play six contests against NE10 opponents.

Following seven straight non-conference games to begin the year, Bridgeport will play its CACC opener at home against Bloomfield on Dec. 3. Amongst the non-league opponents will be a visit to Division I foe, Central Connecticut State, on Nov. 29.

After hosting Franklin Pierce on Jan. 2, the Purple Knights will end their campaign with 14 consecutive conference games.

Bridgeport ends the regular season on Saturday, March 1 with a home matchup against in-state rival, Post.

CACC PRESEASON POLL
The Purple Knights were picked to finish fifth in the CACC's North Division according to the preseason coaches poll released on Oct. 30. UB placed fourth in the division last season with a conference record of 8-8.

Post was selected to finish first in UB's North Division while Jefferson claimed the top spot in the South. The Rams ran the table in the CACC last season (16-0) before advancing to the NCAA East Regional championship game.

THE RETURNERS
UB brings back a total of nine players from last year's roster. Bridgeport's top returners in terms of production are the trio of Shakira Hester, Niyah Whitten and Harmony Earth-Wiley.

Hester served as UB's top scorer last season at 12.0 points per game, in addition to tallying 8.9 boards, 2.1 assists and 2.1 steals per contest. She was the only Purple Knight to start all 28 games.

Whitten and Earth-Wiley, meanwhile, registered respective averages of 6.7 and 5.0 points per contest. Earth-Wiley also nabbed 4.1 rebounds per outing which ranked third on the team.

THE NEWCOMERS
Nine new players, composed of six freshmen and three transfers, join the UB women's basketball team to begin 2024-25. The newest Purple Knights come from Philadelphia, New Jersey, Colorado, Spain and Turkey.   

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING (Quotes)

Jimmy Howard, Head Coach (2^nd Season)

"Our practices have been really good at times. We are trying to mesh 10 newcomers into our defensive and offensive schemes. This will take time, but when we get it, this team can and will be dangerous, hopefully sooner rather than later."

Niyah Whitten, Junior Guard

"This season is about playing to our best potential. So many people look at us as underdogs but we're so much better than that. This year we're going to show up and show out and be the best team on the court for 40 minutes."

Meagan Morelli, Assistant Coach

"As we head into this season, our focus is not just on the game itself, but on the growth and resilience of every player on this team. We are building a culture of commitment, accountability, grit, and, most importantly, confidence. This season will be defined by our ability to compete at a high level while supporting and empowering each other every step of the way. We are very excited to see what this season has in store for the UB Women's Basketball team."

Vince Santilli, Assistant Coach

"I am very excited about our upcoming season as we feel we have an excellent mix of returnees and newcomers. We are confident that our young women will compete hard against both our CACC schools and a challenging slate of non-conference opponents."

FOLLOW ALONG
For all information regarding Bridgeport Athletics, log on to www.UBKnights.com and follow UB Athletics on Facebook (UBPurpleKnights), Twitter (@UBPurpleKnights) and Instagram (@UBPurpleKnights).