Oct. 15, 2012

AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass women's basketball team and head coach Sharon Dawley announced the annual Field Trip Day on Monday. The program will host regional schools for the yearly event at the Mullins Center on Jan. 30, 2013 when the Minutewomen face La Salle at 11:45 a.m.

"Last year our attendance at this game was awesome, but we are trying to top those numbers this year," Dawley said with enthusiasm. "This is a very special event for us - it is a day that local children get out of school to come to an 11:45 a.m. game at the Mullins Center. Our hope is that these young girls and boys get to see a great game, have some fun and fall in love with our sport and decide to try it out, or keep playing if they already do. Basketball is an amazing gift in so many ways. You meet great people and learn how to push yourself harder than you thought you could."

Last season, more then 2,500 fans headed to the Mullins Center to support the Minutewomen during Field Trip Day against Dayton on Jan. 18, 2012. In the short history of the event, UMass has secured victory in conjunction with Field Trip Day twice, doing so against Temple, 71-60 in 2009 and La Salle, 49-47 in 2007.

For more information on Field Trip Day, interested parties can contact the marketing offices at 413-545-1401. UMass women's basketball opens its 2012-13 season at the Mullins Center against Kent State on Saturday, Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. Tickets are available through the UMass Ticket Office at 866-UMASS-TIX.