ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Washington University in St. Louis women's basketball team opens the 2025-26 slate on the road Saturday afternoon when it travels to RV Wis. – Whitewater for a 2 p.m. tipoff.

The Bears received votes in the D3hoops.com Preseason Top 25 and are picked to finish second in the UAA Preseason Coaches Poll. Junior Lexy Harris was named a D3hoops.com Preseason First Team All-American last month.

Where to Follow
All the Bears home games as well as all road UAA games will be streamed exclusively through FloSports. This year, the UAA and FloSports entered an exclusive, five-year media rights agreement to stream all UAA competition.
 
FloSports is a subscription-based platform available on desktop, laptop or tablet. The FloSports app is available for iPhone and Android and is available through Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
 
To view pricing and sign up, click HERE.
 
Additionally, all home games will have live stats HERE.

Schedule
After opening with the Warhawks, WashU returns home for the 24th Annual McWilliams Classic on Friday, Nov. 14, and Saturday, Nov. 15. The Bears will face off against Benedictine in their first game of the weekend at 7 p.m. The Eagles finished fifth in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference regular season a year ago, falling to top-seeded St. Norbert in the tournament semifinals and closing the season with a 15-12 record.

In the earlier Friday matchup, Rose-Hulman and Elmhurst face off at 3 p.m. The Fightin' Engineers finished the 2024-25 season with a 12-14 record, falling in the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference first round. The Bluejays were fifth in the CCIW regular season with a 16-9 overall record. They fell in the first round of their conference tournament last season.

The consolation game will take place on Saturday, Nov. 15, at 2 p.m. with the championship game at 6 p.m.

WashU will have a pair of games the next week before Thanksgiving. The Bears will stay at home for a contest against Greenville on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. Last season, WashU secured a 69-47 win on the road over the Panthers. Millikin will then welcome the Bears to Decatur on Saturday, Nov. 22, for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The two teams haven't faced off since November 2022 when WashU left the Field House with a 72-66 win in overtime.


It might be a break for most, but the Bears will still be working hard the next week to prepare for the 2025 Midwest Challenge at Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday, Nov. 29, and Sunday, Nov. 30. WashU will take on DePauw that Saturday at 2 p.m. The Tigers won the NCAC tournament last season over Wittenberg before falling to Bethel (Minn.) in the NCAA Tournament First Round, 71-65.
                              
The other Saturday matchup features the host Titans taking on UW-La Crosse. IWU and the Bears faced off last season in the championship of the McWilliams Classic, where WashU prevailed with a 67-59 win. The Bears and Eagles have not faced off against each other since November 2021, with UW-La Crosse getting a 65-54 win.

WashU will have four contests in the month of December, with two at home and two at a neutral site. The Bears begin the final month of the year on Monday, Dec. 8, when they welcome Westminster (Mo.) to the Field House for a 5:30 p.m. tipoff. The Blue Jays finished last season with a 20-6 overall record, falling to Principia in the SLIAC First Round. Augustana will visit St. Louis on Friday, Dec. 19, for a 1 p.m. contest at the Field House. The Vikings finished the 2024-25 season with a 10-15 record.

The final two games of the month will take place in St. Petersburg, Fla., where the Bears will face off against Southern Virginia University on Monday, Dec. 29, at 1 p.m. ET. WashU will then take on Christopher Newport on Tuesday, Dec. 30, at 1 p.m. ET. The Knights finished last season with a 26-3 record, winning the USA South tournament before falling in the NCAA Tournament First Round. The Captains also fell in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament after claiming the C2C Conference tournament and finishing the season with a 26-2 record.

WashU then kicks off 2026 by getting right into the UAA portion of its season, beginning with a three-game road trip.

The Bears will start off with a visit to Chicago on Saturday, Jan. 10, with a 3 p.m. tipoff. Last season, the teams split their matchups, each winning on their home court. Nearly a week later, WashU will pay a visit to Carnegie Mellon in a Friday night showdown at 7:30 p.m. ET. The Tartans won both games last season over the Bears. Two days later, WashU takes the short bus ride to Cleveland to face off against Case Western Reserve on Sunday, Jan. 18, at 11 a.m. ET. A year ago, the Spartans won at home while the Bears won inside the Field House.

WashU will play its first home game in over a month on Friday, Jan. 23, against NYU to begin a four-game homestand. The contest against the Violets is scheduled for a 7:30 p.m. start. NYU claimed both contests last season en route to the 2025 NCAA Championship. The Bears wrap up the weekend with a contest against Brandeis on Sunday, Jan. 25, at 12 p.m. The Judges and WashU split their games from last season.

Emory will then pay a visit to the Field House on Friday, Jan. 30, with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff. The Bears swept the season series with the Eagles, including an 83-66 win at home. Rochester will then come to St. Louis to close out the homestand on Sunday, Feb. 1, with a 12 p.m. scheduled start. Like against the Eagles, WashU swept both games against the Yellowjackets, including an 80-64 win in the Field House.

The Bears will then play at the opposite location for each of their UAA opponents over the following four weeks. Remaining home games include Carnegie Mellon (Feb. 13), Case Western Reserve (Feb. 15), and Chicago (Feb. 28). Remaining away games include Emory (Feb. 6), Rochester (Feb. 8), NYU (Feb. 20), and Brandeis (Feb. 22).

Personnel
WashU returns 10 of its top 11 scorers from last season, including Harris, who led the Bears with 394 points, averaging 16.4 points per game. She also recorded 220 rebounds, 36 assists, 27 blocks, and 13 steals.

Also returning are junior Alyssa Hughes, who averaged 8.9 ppg in 25 contests, and junior Sidney Rogers, who averaged 9.6 ppg while competing in 21 contests. Other top returners include senior Nailah McBeth (6.0 ppg), junior Catherine Goodwin (3.9 ppg), and senior Jordan Rich (3.8 ppg). Sophomores Ava Blagojevich and Hope Drake each scored an average of 3.0 ppg a year ago.

Sophomore Tara Murphy, sophomore Cecilia O'Grady, junior Amelia Rosin, sophomore Emilee Travnicek, and junior Sydney Starks combined to score 119 points during the 2024-25 season. 

The Bears also welcome three newcomers for the 2025-26 season: Molly Friesen, Reid Seddelmeyer, and Maggie Helms.

WashU is under the direction of second-year head coach Lisa Stone. Assistant coaches Katie Hempen and Carter Oesterling return to the bench and are joined by Michael Fitzgerald this season.


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