The women’s basketball game will have a different look when the Wilmington College Fightin’ Quakers, and every other team in the country, take the court for the upcoming season as the NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel accepted recent rule proposals.

Moving from two 20-minute halves to four 10-minute quarters is the biggest rule change.

“The rule change going to four quarters is pretty much irrelevant because we are still going to play forty minute games,” said Wilmington head coach Jerry Scheve. “It will allow teams to commit up to as many as six more fouls per game without any team penalty, and I don’t think that is good for the game. It eliminates the one and one free throw situation, which I think is an exciting part of the game. It does reduce the number of timeouts we are allowed to take, and I think that is a good thing. It brings two extra last second plays into the game, and that can be exciting.”

Sophomore-to-be Sawyer Hooper, a Wimington High grad, feels the biggest changes will be at the end of the game.

“It will be a totally different strategy by getting rid of the one-and-one situations,” said Hooer. “It’s definitely going to change the game of women’s college basketball.”

Under the new rules, teams will reach the bonus to shoot two free throws on the fifth team foul in each quarter. The fouls will recent to zero at the end of every quarter.

The other big rule change will be the ability to advance the ball to the front court following a timeout called after made baskets in the final 59.9 seconds of the fourth quarter and overtime period.

“I am really opposed to the new rule which allows you to advance the ball the length of the court in the last minute by taking a timeout,” said Scheve. “I think that really flirts with the integrity of the game.”

Other changes include the loss of a timeout from five to four and the allowing of an open hand with a bend in the elbow on an offensive post player with the ball whose back is to the basket.