The Stetson women's basketball team will look to extend its perfect 3-0 start this weekend as the Hatters head to Waco, Texas for the three-day, three-game Basketball Travelers Classic at Baylor's Ferrell Center.
Stetson will open the tournament against Marist (0-3) at 6 p.m. ET Friday. The Red Foxes have participated in the NCAA Tournament in each of the last nine seasons.
The Hatters will then battle tournament host and #13 Baylor (1-1) at 1 p.m. ET Saturday. The Bears were an NCAA Elite Eight participant last year, and they won the national championshiip in 2011-12.
On Sunday, Stetson will face Utah State (1-2) at 1 p.m. ET. The Aggies are a member of the Mountain West Conference and won 15 games last season.
"I think the only thing they have in common is that they are three quality opponents," Stetson head coach Lynn Bria said. "They are all so different. They defend differently and they run different offenses, so I think our game plan has to be different against all three of them."
With a short turnaround between games, Bria says the team has prepared a little bit already for each opponent, but a majority of the focus has been on Friday's opponent, Marist.
"Marist presents some complexities defensively for us," Bria said. "They run a good offense, so I like the fact that we have had a little more time to prepare for them."
With just eight active players on the roster, the Hatters will also have to be ready for the heavy minutes required to play three games in a span of about 45 hours.
"Three games in a row for us is going to be a challenge as far our depth," Bria said. "Everybody has got to be ready."
The Hatters are 3-0 for the first time since 1995. Stetson is looking for its first 4-0 start since 1986.
Stetson has benefited from a strong defensive effort through the first three games. The Hatters rank 44th in the nation in opponents scoring (54.0) and 23rd in the nation in opponents field goal percentage (32.4). The Hatters have been especially tough late in games, allowing a total of just 10 points in the final six minutes of the first three games combined.
"Our offense has been stagnant at times, and we tend to have too many turnovers for no reason," Bria said. "The defense has saved us, it has really helped us. Hopefully we can continue to keep that going. All three of these teams are hard to guard. We are going to have to be ready."
Brianti Saunders earned Atlantic Sun Player of the Week honors after averaging 19.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in victories at UCF and Indiana State. She helped Stetson come from behind in the second half in each of those games.
Stetson will be playing Baylor and Utah State for the first time. The Hatters defeated the Red Foxes in the only previous meeting between the two schools back in 1986.
All three games can be heard live on WSBB AM 1230 New Smyrna Beach, AM 1490 DeLand, online at myam1230.com, and on the WSBB app for mobile devices.
In addition to the live radio broadcast, fans can follow along with live stats, the Stetson women's basketball twitter feed, and the HatCheck text messaging system.
Past Success: The last time Stetson played three games in three days was at the Winthrop Invitational in 2011. The Hatters swept the tournament with wins over Niagara, Bradley, and host Winthrop.
Busy Stretch: Not only will the Hatters be playing three games in three days, but Friday starts a stretch of six games in nine days. Next week, the Hatters will play at USF on Wednesday before returning home for back-to-back games against Webber and Warner on Friday and Saturday.
