Consuegra Reveals Complete 2018-19 Season Schedule

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Charlotte head women’s basketball coach Cara Consuegra has announced the 2018-19 schedule for her 49ers program, featuring three ‘Power 5’ opponents in the non-conference slate, including two at home, and the always-challenging Conference USA schedule. The Niners are poised to play 16 games inside Halton Arena during regular-season action, their most in any year in program history not including postseason action.

“I’m happy with the way the schedule came together,” Consuegra said. “We always want to have a schedule that challenges our student-athletes and team early, and I think we did that by playing the ‘Power 5’ schools.

“At the same time, we really wanted to accomplish being able to play more regional teams to create those rivalries and build our fan base to get excited about some of those games. We accomplished those two goals with this schedule.”

After an exhibition opener Nov. 3 against Chowan, the regular season opens less than a week later with three-straight home games. The season will tip-off Nov. 8 against UNC Asheville inside Halton Arena before a first-time opponent, Wofford, comes to the Queen City for a Nov. 11 clash. The Terriers are one of several first-time foes lined up on this year’s docket.

The season-opening homestand concludes Nov. 16 when the Big Ten’s Rutgers makes its second-straight yearly appearance in Charlotte. The Niners will then hit the road to meet one of their former Atlantic 10 adversaries, Fordham, in Bronx, New York, Nov. 18 in the season’s first away contest.

Charlotte returns to action after the Thanksgiving holiday at the Christmas City Classic in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, play hosted by Lehigh. The tournament will pit the 49ers against Liberty in the opening round, Nov. 24, before the winners and losers of the first day square off Nov. 25. Possible opponents awaiting the squad include host Lehigh or another neutral-site meeting with Niagara.

December tips-off with an in-state matchup on Dec. 1 when in-state rival ECU comes to the Queen City before ACC foe Wake Forest arrives on campus Dec. 5. The final game before an end-of-semester final exams break will be Dec. 9 in Macon, Georgia, against Mercer.

Charlotte is then back home for three-straight games inside Halton Arena, starting Dec. 18 against Wright State. The stretch continues with the annual tilt with cross-county foe Davidson Dec. 21 and concludes Dec. 28 against Bethune-Cookman.

The 49ers return to the road for the final non-conference contest, a Dec. 30 meeting in Charlottesville, Virginia, against Virginia of the ACC.

Conference USA action begins after the new year and the Niners find themselves on the road to start the calendar, traveling to WKU and Marshall, Jan. 3 and Jan. 5, respectively. The league home opener will be Jan. 10 against FIU before Florida Atlantic comes to town two days later.

Maintaining the alternating home/away weekend format, Charlotte will meet Southern Miss and Louisiana Tech in their respective buildings, Jan. 17 and Jan. 19, before welcoming UTSA and UTEP to Halton Arena for games Jan. 24 and Jan. 26.

The conference’s opening month wraps up with the 49ers traveling to Houston for a Jan. 31 affair against Rice before starting February in the Lone Star State against North Texas, Feb. 2, in Denton.

The Niners then play host to their longest league homestand of the season, three games, starting with Middle Tennessee Feb. 7.Defending regular-season conference champion UAB will be inside Halton Arena Feb. 9 followed by Old Dominion a week later, Feb. 16, as the league schedule shifts to one game per week in the middle of the month.

The final regular-season road trip for Charlotte will start the team in Norfolk, Virginia, against Old Dominion Feb. 23 for the second of consecutive matchups with the Lady Monarchs. The road regular-season finale will be March 2 in Miami against FIU.

The 49ers will return to Halton Arena for their final regular-season game, playing host to Southern Miss March 7.

The annual Conference USA Championships return to The Star in Frisco, Texas, and begin play with opening-round action March 13. The tournament runs through the final, March 16.

All dates are subject to change. Times will be announced at a later date when finalized.