First-year women’s basketball Head Coach Keith Brown has already lost seven players to graduation and one to transfer. The nonconference schedule isn’t making his job any easier.

The team’s 2012-13 nonconference schedule, released Friday, features no shortage of stiff competition for the Blue and Gray. Highlights include an early home game against LSU, a December road game at Penn State and a likely showdown with Delaware in the preseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament.

The Hoyas will kick off their season at McDonough Arena, facing off against Sacred Heart on Nov. 9 in the WNIT’s first round. Barring major upsets, they will enter the second round as underdogs to superstar senior Elena Delle Donne and the Blue Hens of Delaware. The 6-foot-5 forward is looking to improve on a spectacular 2011-12 campaign, in which she led the nation in scoring and Delaware finished 31-2.

After the WNIT, Georgetown will play host to LSU on Nov. 19. The Lady Tigers beat the Hoyas in Baton Rouge last season, 51-40, en route to a 24-11 mark and fourth-place finish in the competitive Southeastern Conference.

Thanksgiving break will see the Hoyas travel to the Golden State for a two-game tournament hosted by UC-Berkeley. The Golden Bears reached the NCAA tournament last year and advanced to the second round with an 84-74 win over Iowa.

After the break, Georgetown will play host to La Salle before embarking on a three-game road trip that culminates with a match against Penn State in State College, Pa. The Nittany Lions boasted a 26-7 record last season and advanced to the NCAA tournament’s Sweet 16. The Blue and Gray will also face Monmouth and George Washington during the three-game stretch.

The Hoyas will close out their nonconference slate with a three-game homestand against South Dakota State, Yale and soon-to-be Big East member Temple. The Dec. 28 game against Yale will be the first time the two squads have faced off since 1982.