FORT MYERS, Fla. - The FSW women's basketball team will open its 2017-18 regular season at home against IMG on Wednesday, Nov. 1, in the first game of a doubleheader with the FSW Men's Basketball team. Tip-off at Suncoast Credit Union Arena is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

The Matchup: FSW (0-0) vs. IMG (0-0)
When: Wednesday, Nov. 1 | 5:30 p.m.
Where: Suncoast Credit Union Arena | Fort Myers, Fla.
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PRESEASON PREDICTIONS (NATIONAL - #19)
The Florida SouthWestern State College women's basketball team is ranked number 19 in the Preseason NJCAA National poll, which was announced Thursday (Oct. 26). It marks the first time in program history that the Bucs have been ranked in the NJCAA National Top 25.

"It's an honor to be recognized in the top 25, especially during the early stages of our program," said FSW head coach Kristie Ward. "Our goal is to break into the top 10 and we've put together a very tough schedule, including four games against teams in the top 12, so we definitely have some work to do."

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS (STATE - #5)
The Florida SouthWestern State College women's basketball team is ranked fifth in the 2017-18 Florida College System Activities Association (FCSAA) NJCAA Region 8 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches' Poll as released by the association on Monday (Oct. 30). The poll was voted on by Region 8 women's basketball coaches, the Region 8 Women's Basketball Chair and the FCSAA Scoreboard Coordinator.

2017-18 SCHEDULE
A trip to the Florida JUCO Shootout and 15 home games at Suncoast Credit Union Arena highlight the 2017-18 Florida SouthWestern women's basketball schedule.

The Bucs begin the 2017-18 campaign with three straight home games. FSW opens the season at home against IMG on Nov. 1, before hosting Broward (Nov. 3) and Chipola (Nov. 4) in the first of three Classic Tournaments at Suncoast Credit Union Arena.

The Bucs will then head to Daytona, Fla. to battle Daytona State (Nov. 7), before heading to Mariana, Fla. take on Chipola (Nov. 10) and Pensacola State (Nov. 11) as part of a tournament hosted by Chipola.

FSW hosts Miami Dade (Nov. 15) and then hits the road for a five-game road trip, highlighted by a pair of games at the Florida JUCO Shootout (Tallahassee CC - Dec. 1; Santa Fe - Dec. 2). 

The Purple and Aqua will then play seven of the next nine games at Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Daytona State (Dec. 8) and Indian River State (Dec. 9) visit Fort Myers for Classic No. 2, FSCJ comes in town on Dec. 14 and Bryant & Stratton (Dec. 29) and Hutchinson CC (Dec. 30) come down to participate in the third and final FSW Classic. College of Central Florida (Jan. 3) and The Apprentice School (Jan. 5) round out the FSW non-conferences home schedule.

After the non-conference finale at Miami Dade (Jan. 8), Coach Ward and the Buccaneers dive into Suncoast Conference play. The 2017-18 slate will feature nine Suncoast Conference games (4 home, 5 away). The Suncoast Conference is made up of four schools, including FSW, Hillsborough CC, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida.

TICKETS
Single-game tickets for FSW basketball are currently available for purchase. General admission tickets (Sections 101, 102, 103) can be purchased for $8. The other individual game tickets range from $10-15. That price range includes general admission (Sections 104, 110, 114, 120), Reserved 3 (Sections 105, 109, 115, 119), Reserved 2 (Sections 106, 108, 116, 118; Rows B and up) and Reserved 1 (Sections 107, 117; Rows B and up).

Fans also have several season ticket options to choose from, starting with a $75 General Admission ticket option.

Tickets are available for purchase at the Suncoast Credit Union Arena Ticket Office Monday-Friday from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m., over the phone by calling 239-481-4849 or online at FSWArena.com. Tickets purchased online or over the phone are subject to applicable service charges, tickets purchased in person at the box office with CREDIT/DEBIT will be charged a $2.00 processing fee. There will be no service charge for tickets purchased in person at the box office with CASH.

FSW faculty and staff receive a 20% discount off the price of single-game and season tickets with a valid FSW Buc Card at the box office.

A LOOK BACK...AT LAST SEASON
FSW, 20-11 overall last season, ranked No. 5 in the final NJCAA Region 8 Coaches' Poll and earned a berth to the NJCAA District VIII Championship in the first year of the program with a second place finish in the Southern Conference (9-3). The Bucs also won 11 of their last 12 games to close the regular season and were one of four schools in the state with both its men's and women's basketball teams represented in the State Tournament (Central Florida, Broward, Tallahassee).

Four student-athletes received postseason accolades. FSW was represented on the Southern Conference's First Team by Erna Normil, LaToya Ashman and Amanda Oliver. The Purple and Aqua also garnered one Second Team selection as Dajsha Hall received postseason accolades.

FOLLOW THE BUCS
For the latest news on FSW Athletics, log on to FSWBucs.com or stay connected to the Bucs on social media. Follow the Buccaneers on Twitter @FSWBucs, on Instagram @FSWBucs, on Facebook at Facebook.com/FSWBucs and on Snapchat at BucsSnaps.

WATCH THE BUCS ONLINE
All of FSW's home games will be available online through FSW Livestream (FSW.edu/livestream), and can be viewed on smartphones, tablets and laptop or desktop computers.

SUNCOAST CREDIT UNION ARENA
The Buccaneers compete in the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena. Suncoast Credit Union Arena is approximately 75,000 square feet and is home to the FSW basketball teams and a student athletic center. The arena seats approximately 3,300 fans and includes six skyboxes, a hospitality event center, competition courts that convert into recreational courts, athletic office space, student, faculty and staff wellness, and an athletic center with a fitness pavilion, men's and women's locker rooms and a weight training area. The arena has two Daktronics displays, on the north and south walls, that each measure 10 feet high by 20 feet wide. Both displays incorporate variable content zoning to each show one large image or they can be divided into multiple windows to show any variety of live video, instant replays, up-to-the-minute statistics, graphics and animations, and sponsorship messages. One-hundred feet of ribbon displays have been installed on the east and west walls of the arena. The ribbons provide the opportunity to supplement the content on the main displays as well as highlight sponsors throughout events.

FLORIDA SOUTHWESTERN
The Florida SouthWestern State College athletic program is a member of the Florida College System Athletic Association (FCSAA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). The Buccaneers are one of 25 schools in the NJCAA Region 8 and are one of six schools in the Suncoast Conference. Florida SouthWestern State College currently supports four intercollegiate athletic programs (Baseball, Softball, Men's Basketball, Women's Basketball).

Baseball and Softball began their regular season competition in 2016 at the City of Palms Park in Fort Myers. Located on the Thomas Edison (Lee) Campus in Fort Myers is the brand new Suncoast Credit Union Arena (completed in fall 2016), where FSW's men's and women's basketball teams compete.

THE NJCAA
The movement to form a unique sports association dedicated to America's two-year colleges arose in 1937 when several track and field coaches gathered in Fresno, California. A year later, the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) rejected a petition from 13 two-year colleges in California to grant their teams and athletes permission to compete at the NCAA Track & Field Championships.

In the spring of 1938, following the NCAA's rejection, those same 13 two-year colleges gathered again in Fresno to organize and form an association that would promote and supervise a national athletics program exclusively for junior and community colleges…and the rest is history.

On May 14, 1938, the first constitution of the National Junior College Athletic Association was accepted by its charter members and the organization held its first national championship event a year later in May 1939.

The NJCAA has played a vital role in collegiate athletics for the past eight decades and continues to be the leader in championing academic and athletic opportunities for student-athletes. This section of the association's website is dedicated to celebrating the NJCAA's rich history and tradition as the national governing body of two-year college athletics.

For more information on the NJCAA log on to www.NJCAA.org. 

THE FCSAA
The Florida College System Activities Association, Incorporated (FCSAA) is a statewide non‑profit corporation regulating, coordinating, and promoting intercollegiate activities in: Athletics, Brain Bowl, Forensics, Music, Student Government, Student Publications, and Theatre.

Membership in the Florida College System Activities Association is open to any of the 28 colleges in the Florida College System. Each member institution is represented in the policy‑making deliberations of the Association through that institution's President or other designated representative. The institutional representatives constitute the FCSAA Presidents Assembly, the ultimate authority in FCSAA.

For more information on the FCSAA log on to www.TheFCSAA.com.  

NJCAA REGION 8 & THE SUNCOAST CONFERENCE
Member colleges of the NJCAA are allotted to a specific NJCAA Region upon membership to the association. Unlike other collegiate organizations that defer to conference affiliation, the NJCAA guarantees each member college's membership within the regional structure of the association. In most cases, region assignment is based upon geographic location of the college. 

The region structure of the NJCAA is the primary method used by all sponsored sports of the association in determining qualification for national championship tournaments. In certain sports, two or more regions are partnered to form a competition 'district', which is then used for national championship qualification. The organization of districts varies per sport and is formulated every two years under the authority of the association's board of directors. 

FSW is in Region 8 and is joined by ASA College Miami (Region 8 only; non-FCSAA member), Broward College, Chipola College, College of Central Florida, Daytona State College, Eastern Florida State College, Florida State College at Jacksonville, Gulf Coast State College, Hillsborough Community College, Indian River State College, Lake-Sumter State College, Miami Dade College, Northwest Florida State College, Palm Beach State College, Pasco-Hernando State College, Pensacola State College, Polk State College, Santa Fe College, Seminole State College of Florida, South Florida State College, St. Johns River State College, St. Petersburg College, State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota and Tallahassee Community College.

The Bucs are also in the Suncoast Conference with Hillsborough Community College, Polk State College, South Florida State College, St. Petersburg College and State College of Florida Manatee-Sarasota. The women's basketball program is also in the Suncoast Conference, but with only three other teams (Hillsborough Community College, St. Petersburg College and Eastern Florida State College).

For more information on Region 8 log on to www.TheFCSAASports.com.