Providence women's basketball team hit the road a lot early in season. Here's the schedule.

Get a look at the Providence women’s basketball team early in this upcoming 2024-25 season. You won’t see much of the Friars at Alumni Hall for a month-long span starting in early November.

Providence opens with three straight games at home before playing seven of its next eight on the road, including five different trips off campus.

A three-day stint at the Cancun Challenge highlights the time away. The Friars will visit the Hard Rock Hotel Riviera Maya for matchups with VCU, Wisconsin and San Diego State. Games are set for Nov. 28-30, a prime window for neutral court events over the Thanksgiving holiday.

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The Rams closed 28-6 last season and were invited to take part in the first edition of the Women’s Basketball Invitational Tournament. The Badgers closed 15-17 overall and reached the quarterfinals of the WNIT. The Aztecs were 22-13 and fell in the Mountain West Tournament title game, denying them a spot in March Madness.

Providence will prepare for those tests with games at Vermont, Boston College and Dayton. The Catamounts were 25-12 last season and reached the WNIT semifinals. The Eagles and Flyers both fell shy of .500 but carry an ACC pedigree and some recent success in the Atlantic 10, respectively.

The Friars are to begin with an Oct. 29 exhibition against Southern Connecticut State and formally open Erin Batth’s second year in charge with a Nov. 4 matchup against Division II Mercy University. Providence faces a bit of a tougher challenge against Columbia on Nov. 8, an NCAA Tournament at-large selection out of the Ivy League last season who will be attempting to replace graduated guard Abbey Hsu.

The Friars host Delaware in the midst of their extended road swing before some intriguing local rivalry renewals. Providence visits the University of Rhode Island on Dec. 4 and will attempt to make it two straight wins against the Rams after a home thriller last season. The Friars host Brown on Dec. 7 and will be looking to rebound from last year’s loss on the East Side.

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Penn State and Merrimack visit to close the nonconference slate. The Nittany Lions could prove difficult — WBIT semifinalists and 22-game winners a season ago while playing in the Big Ten. The Warriors were just 12-19 and could offer a softer landing entering Big East play.

Providence finished 13-21 overall in Batth’s debut and went 6-12 in league play. The Friars lost their final two games to Connecticut in the conference tournament and to Colgate in the WNIT . Providence gained valuable experience both on its roster and through the transfer portal entering 2024-25 — a combined 10 graduate students and seniors are listed.

All games times and broadcast information will be released at a later date. The Friars previously have offered television and streaming options through deals with Fox Sports and FloSports. According to its team website, Providence will play each of its three games in Cancun at 11 a.m.

The Friars wrapped up their summer with a weeklong trip to Greece and Croatia. Providence crushed Amilla Peristriou in its first game before hanging on to defeat the Croatian All-Stars, 64-60. Grace Efosa led with 22 points in the opener and added a double-double next time out, collecting 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Batth will join men’s basketball coach Kim English in throwing out a first pitch prior to the game on Sept. 10 at Fenway Park between the Red Sox and Baltimore Orioles. English is a Baltimore native who currently has an American League playoff qualifier to watch, with the Orioles battling the New York Yankees for first place in the A.L. East. Both will also attend the conference’s basketball media day, which is set for Oct. 23 at Madison Square Garden.

bkoch@providencejournal.com

On X: @BillKoch25

Providence women's basketball nonconference schedule

Oct. 29 — Southern Connecticut State Nov. 4 — Mercy University Nov. 8 — Columbia Nov. 12 — at Vermont Nov. 17 — at Boston College Nov. 21 — at Dayton Nov. 24 — Delaware Nov. 28 — VCU (Cancun Challenge) Nov. 29 — Wisconsin (Cancun Challenge) Nov. 30 — San Diego State (Cancun Challenge) Dec. 4 — at Rhode Island Dec. 7 — Brown Dec. 11 — Penn State Dec. 14 — Merrimack

This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence women's basketball team hit the road a lot early in season. Here's the schedule.