Aloha! Lady'Backs heading to Hawai'i for 2006-07

FAYETTEVILLE – The earliest regular season opener in program history and a trip to the premier women’s basketball tournament in the Aloha State highlight the 2006-07 University of Arkansas Lady Razorback non-conference schedule. Head coach Susie Gardner announced the non-conference portion of her team’s schedule this week awaiting final Southeastern Conference scheduling later this summer. Changes in the NCAA calendar for basketball opened up a new first weekend for all teams in early November, and Arkansas took advantage by adding two additional games to its previously planned schedule. But, the highlight of the pre-SEC games is a trip to Honolulu, Hawai’i, for the Rainbow Wahine Classic, Nov. 24-26. Arkansas joins Final Four participant North Carolina and NCAA second round team UCLA in the eight-team field. The Lady’Backs start the tournament with Denver on Friday, Nov. 24, before facing either Texas Tech or the host Wahine of Hawai’i in the second round. Sacramento State and Gonzaga round out the field. Fans wanting to join the Lady’Backs in paradise are encouraged to contact Chris Pohl cpohl@uark.edu in the Lady’Back Marketing Office for more information about travel packages to Hawai’i during Thanksgiving week with the team. The Lady’Backs begin their 31st season of basketball on the road at Clemson, S.C., against the ACC power Tigers on Nov. 10. The Friday evening contest is the earliest first game for Arkansas since facing Stanford at San Jose, Calif., in the Four in the Fall tournament on Nov. 13, 1998. Arkansas backs up the Clemson game with an earliest-ever home opener on Monday, Nov. 13, by hosting Sun Belt member Louisiana-Monroe at Walton Arena at 7:00 p.m. The Lady’Backs return to the road for back-to-back games in the Nashville, Tenn., area against Lipscomb on Nov. 17 before Gardner takes her current team back to Austin Peay on Nov. 18. Gardner led APSU to three NCAA appearances before joining Arkansas as head coach in 2003-04. The Lady’Backs play Wichita State back in Fayettevilleon Nov. 20 before heading to Hawai’i.Following the Thanksgiving trip to Hawai’i, the Lady’Backs host three straight games at Walton Arena. Arkansas hosts a return game with Portland State on Dec. 1 then takes on Texas Southern on Dec 3 before the Fall 2006 semester test break. The Lady’Backs return to the floor against Southern Methodist on Dec. 14 in Walton Arena. Arkansas plays back-to-back regional rivals on the road, at Tulsa on Dec. 16, then swinging to the east to play at Memphis on Dec. 18. The annual central Arkansas game pits the Lady’Backs against perennial Southland Conference power and 2006 NCAA participant Stephen F. Austin at The Summit in Hot Springs, Ark., on Dec. 20. After a break for the holidays, Arkansas hosts WNIT participant Cincinnati in Fayetteville on Dec. 28 before finishing the non-conference schedule at St. Louis on Dec. 30. Arkansas begins SEC play the first weekend of January, with the conference season concluding with the SEC Women’s Basketball Tournament at the Gwinnett Center in Duluth, Ga., on March 1-4. For more information about ticketing and women’s basketball, go to the official website for Arkansas Women’s Athletics: LADYBACKS.COM.