Cullowhee, N.C. – Nine repeat opponents and the revival of a series with a Power Five opponent that has been dormant since 2008 highlight the inaugural schedule of head coach Jonathan Tsipis with Western Carolina women's basketball. The Catamounts have a 28-game regular-season schedule with 13 matchups coming in the comfortable confines of Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Official tipoff times, game day promotions, and all broadcast information will be announced closer to the season, though WCU's home games will air on ESPN+ if not selected for national or regional broadcast. Schedule is subject to change.
WCU's 14-game nonconference slate begins with a doubleheader on Nov. 4 as the Purple and Gold host Warren Wilson, an opponent the Catamounts have only seen twice in program history and most recently in 2018, as part of a Catamount hoops doubleheader. The Catamount men face Bob Jones in the debut of first-year head coach Tim Craft.
Tsipis squad remains at home following the season-opener to host the Campbell Camels on Nov. 7. The Catamounts took a narrow 49-46 victory over the Camels their last time in Cullowhee but fell to the CAA opponent in Buies Creek last season. The two North Carolina schools have played every season but one since 2011, not scheduled in 2020.
Following the two-game home stretch, the Catamounts hit the road for the rest of the opening month of the season with three games against Big South foes Radford (Nov. 10), USC Upstate (Nov. 16), and Presbyterian (Nov. 22) and one against Sun Belt representative, Georgia State (Nov. 19). WCU closes the month with a visit to Knoxville to face the Tennessee Lady Vols. The Catamounts saw action against the four non-SEC schools last year, each at home.
The Catamounts have a storied history with the Lady Vols as the all-time series sits tied with 10 wins and 10 losses apiece. A yearly matchup from 1968-1977, the 2024 meeting will be just the third time the two schools have shared the floor in the 21st Century. Tennessee holds the advantage in the other two matchups, taking a 94-43 win in the NCAA Tournament in 2005 and an 83-56 victory in the 2008 regular season. This season's road matchup with Tennessee is the first game with SEC competition for the Catamounts since they battled then #16 LSU in Baton Rouge in 2022-23.
December sees the Catamounts take on six opponents with an even split of three at home and three on the road. WCU first faces Gardner-Webb, a team it hasn't seen since 2019, on Dec. 6 before taking on the West Georgia Wolves for the first time in program history on Dec. 8. WCU leads the all-time series with Gardner-Webb, holding a 10-4 edge in the record, but fell 88-62 in a matchup in Boiling Springs.
A three-game road stretch follows the back-to-back home games as the Catamounts head to Charlotte to take on the Queens Royals for the second season in a row on Dec. 14 before challenging the Murray State Racers on their home court in Kentucky on Dec. 19. The Purple and Gold then finish the road stretch close to home against mountain-rival UNC Asheville at Kimmel Arena in Asheville on Dec. 21. Following the holiday break, the Catamounts close play in 2024 with a home game against Southern Wesleyan on Dec. 30. Southern Wesleyan was the last opponent the Catamounts faced in 2023, earning a 73-34 win over the Warriors.
Nonconference play concludes on Jan. 2 as the Catamounts open the 2025 calendar year the same way they opened 2024, by hosting the Montreat Cavaliers on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center. Last year's matchup saw the Catamounts claim a 58-39 decision to close out the nonconference schedule.
Western Carolina's 2025 Southern Conference schedule begins with back-to-back home matchups as the Catamounts host defending league champion Chattanooga on Jan. 9 before their only doubleheader in league play with the ETSU Bucs on Jan. 11. The Catamounts had three relatively close battles with the Mocs last season, particularly during the matchup in Chattanooga where the Catamounts fell to the eventual conference champions by just four points.
The third and fourth matchups in conference play see the Catamounts swing through the upstate region of South Carolina to take on the Furman Paladins (Jan. 16) and the Wofford Terriers (Jan. 18). WCU then returns for a three-game home stand, hosting UNCG (Jan. 25), Samford (Jan. 30), and Mercer (Feb. 1).
The second half of the league schedule starts back around following the Mercer matchup as the Catamounts head to Johnson City and Chattanooga in three days for their second games with ETSU (Feb. 6) and the Mocs (Feb. 8). The final home stretch of the season sees Wofford (Feb. 13) and Furman (Feb. 15) come to the mountains before the Purple and Gold embark on its longest road swing since November. WCU plays three straight away from Cullowhee as it visits UNCG (Feb. 22), Mercer (Feb. 27), and Samford (Mar. 1) to close out the 2024-25 regular season.
The 2025 Ingles Southern Conference Basketball Championships are again scheduled for the Harrah's Cherokee Center – Asheville. The tournament runs from March 6-9 as the eight women's teams compete for the conference crown and vie for the coveted automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
Season tickets for Catamount basketball at Ingles Court in the Ramsey Center will go on sale later this fall. For more information, contact the Catamount Ticket Office at (828) 227-2401. Fans will also be able to purchase or renew their season tickets online at CatamountSports.com.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount women's basketball and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports), Instagram (@wcu_catamounts), and Twitter (@catamounts, Catamountwbb).
Full Schedule and Opponent Information:
11-4-24 – vs. Warren Wilson
Series Record: 2-0
Last meeting 1/24/2018 (114-56 W)
2023 Record: 1-26 (0-3 C2C)
11-7-24 – vs. Campbell
Series Record: 11-13
Last meeting: 11/18/2023 (52-70 L)
2023-24 Record: 17-14 (9-9 CAA)
11-10-24 – at Radford
Series Record: 4-9
Last Meeting: 11/9/2023 (49-67 L)
2023-24 Record: 15-18 (9-7 Big South)
11-16-24 – at USC Upstate
Series Record: 9-8
Last Meeting: 12/5/2023 (64-73 L)
2023-24 Record: 16-16 (10-6 Big South)
11-19-24 – at Georgia State
Series Record: 5-10
Last Meeting: 11/28/2023 (57-90 L)
2023-24 Record: 15-15 (9-9 Sun Belt)
11-22-24 – at Presbyterian
Series Record: 3-3
Last Meeting: 12/2/2 – 023 (41-60 L)
2023-24 Record: 21-15 (8-8 Big South)
11-26-24 – at Tennessee
Series Record: 10-10
Last Meeting: 11/25/2008 (56-83 L)
2023-24 Record: 20-13 (10-6 SEC)
12-6-24 – vs. Gardner-Webb
Series Record: 10-4
Last Meeting: 11/27/2019 (88-62 L)
2023-24 Record: 6-24 (5-11 Big South)
12-8-24 – vs. West Georgia
First Meeting Between Programs
2023-24 Record: 16-13 (12-12 GSC)
12-14-24 – at Queens
Series Record: 2-0
Last Meeting: 12/20/2023 (69-63 W)
2023-24 Record: 7-22 (1-15 ASun)
12-19-24 – at Murray State
Series Record: 0-2
Last Meeting: 12/18/2023 (79-89 L)
2023-24 Record: 20-12 (12-8 MVC)
12-21-24 – at UNC Asheville
Series Record: 40-20
Last Meeting: 12/9/2023 (48-59 L)
2023-24 Record: 11-20 (4-12 Big South)
12-30-24 – vs. Southern Wesleyan
Series Record: 3-0
Last Meeting: 12/30/2023 (73-34 W)
2023-24 Record: 12-17 (9-9 Conference Carolinas)
1-2-25 – vs. Montreat
Series Record: 12-0
Last Meeting: 1/7/2024 (58-39 W)
2023-24 Record: 16-13 (13-9 AAC)
1-9-25 – vs. Chattanooga
Series Home Record: 6-37
Last Home Meeting: 1/27/2024 (59-69 L)
2023-24 Road Record: 11-1
1-11-25 – vs. ETSU
Series Home Record: 17-23
Last Home Meeting: 1/25/2024 (47-56 L)
2023-24 Road Record: 5-8
1-16-25 – at Furman
Series Road Record: 10-30
Last Road Meeting: 2/11/2024 (53-58 L0
2023-24 Home Record: 11-4
1-18-25 – at Wofford
Series Road Record: 14-13
Last Road Meeting: 2/8/2024 (52-89 L)
2023-24 Home Record: 13-2
1-25-25 – vs. UNCG
Series Home Record: 26-22
Last Home Meeting: 2/3/2024 (78-71 W)
2023-24 Road Record: 4-10
1-30-25 – vs. Samford
Series Home Record: 2-16
Last Home Meeting: 2/17/2024 (57-72 L)
2023-24 Road Record: 3-10
2-1-25 – vs. Mercer
Series Home Record: 1-12
Last Home Meeting: 2/15/2024 (62-76 L)
2023-24 Road Record: 3-11
2-6-25 – at ETSU
Series Road Record: 5-34
Last Road Meeting: 2/24/2024 (33-71 L)
2023-24 Home Record: 12-3
2-8-25 – at Chattanooga
Series Road Record: 7-39
Last Road Meeting: 2/22/2024 (56-60 L)
2023-24 Home Record: 13-1
2-13-25 – vs. Wofford
Series Home Record: 19-12
Last Home Meeting: 1/13/2024 (56-75 L)
2023-24 Road Record: 3-10
2-15-25 – vs. Furman
Series Home Record: 24-22
Last Home Meeting: 1/11/2024 (69-84 L)
2023-24 Road Record: 3-10
2-22-25 – at UNCG
Series Road Record: 13-17
Last Road Meeting: 3/2/2024 (54-61 L)
2023-24 Home Record: 15-1
2-27-25 – at Mercer
Series Road Record: 0-12
Last Road Meeting: 1/20/2024 (44-78 L)
2023-24 Home Record: 10-4
3-1-25 – at Samford
Series Road Record: 1-14
Last Road Meeting: 1/18/2024 (47-48 L)
2023-24 Home Record: 11-4
