Once the legislation was passed by the NCAA Women's Basketball Rules Committee it became a foregone conclusion but today the NCAA announced to move to playing four 10-minute quarters beginning with the 2015-16 season.

NCAA Women's BKB @NCAAWomensBKB

It’s official! NCAA Playing Rules Oversight Panel approves playing four 10-minute quarters in women's basketball.

The move will cut down on timeouts, both the ones taken by the coaches and ones designated as media stoppages. There will be one media timeout in each quarter and that would occur at the first stoppage after the five-minute mark. The other two media timeouts would come after the first and third quarters, Under the previous format there were media timeouts at the first stoppages after the 16, 12, 8 and 4-minute marks. Teams will be given four timeouts, one fewer than under the previous format and only two of them will carry over into the second half. Holding onto timeouts could be huge because teams will be allowed to advance the ball into the frontcourt on inbounds plays following made baskets after a timeout in the final minute of the fourth quarter or overtime.

It will also change how bonus free throws are awarded. Under the previous format, teams would shoot 1 and 1 after the seventh team foul and were given two shots after the 10th foul in each half. Now teams will shoot two free throws after the fifth foul in each quarter.