Cullowhee, N.C. – The Western Carolina women's basketball team is back in action for its second consecutive home game to open the 2025-26 season as it hosts the Tusculum Pioneers in a Sunday afternoon tilt on Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center.
Tip with the Pioneers is scheduled for 2 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 9), with the Catamounts (1-0) looking to build off their season-opening win over the Virginia University of Lynchburg Dragons. Sunday's matchup is an exhibition for the NCAA D-II Pioneers, who are looking to get a final tune-up before their season opener against a top-25 D-II team in the Columbus St Cougars on Nov. 14.
Sunday's matchup will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required), with a live streaming audio broadcast available through the Catamount Sports Network. Tickets are available for purchase through CatamountSports.com. Fans can also follow along with the live stats, which are available through CatamountSports.com as well.
Sunday Afternoon's Matchup:
Western Carolina (1-0) vs Tusculum Pioneers (0-0, SAC 0-0)
Nov. 9, 2025, | Ingles Court at the Ramsey Center | Cullowhee, N.C. | 2 p.m.
Tickets: https://tinyurl.com/2fpy4xrm
Listen (CSN): https://tinyurl.com/twkyzse6
Watch (ESPN+): https://tinyurl.com/mv9acbte
Live Stats: https://tinyurl.com/yc4n29ee
Full Court Press:
The Catamounts and Pioneers rekindle a series that has been dormant for 38 years, with the two schools meeting for the fourth time in program history. WCU leads the overall series with the Pioneers 3-0, with all three meetings coming in three years from 1985 to 1987. The closest matchup in that span was an 82-74 win in Cullowhee in 1985, with the most recent meeting resulting in a 79-50 Catamount victory in 1987.
WCU enters the Sunday matchup after picking up a 99-58 win over the VUL Dragons in the season opener on Nov. 6. The Catamounts shot 46% from the floor and 48% from beyond the arc, but will look to perform better at the charity stripe after a 55% mark there on Thursday.
The Pioneers enter their exhibition matchup looking to build off a 9-19 season last year. Seven of Tusculum's nine wins came in South Atlantic play as the Pioneers fielded a strong offense, averaging 74 ppg a year ago.
Tusculum faced a SoCon opponent last season as well, ringing in the New Year with the ETSU Bucs in a Jan. 2 contest. The Bucs posted a 103-55 win over the Pioneers, who were held to their fifth-lowest point total of the 2024-25 campaign in that matchup.
Players to Watch:
WCU was led by newcomers across the board in its 99-58 season-opening win, though Memphis transfer Ally Hollifield stole the spotlight. Hollifield notched a career-high 26 points in the win, connecting on six of her 11 3-point attempts in the win. She also dished out six assists and had three steals on a career night.
Transfers Betsey Burnett and Ary Dizon, and sophomore returner Taj Hunter all crossed the double-digit point threshold as well, with Burnett going for 17, Dizon for 15, and Hunter for 11 in the season-opener. Additionally, Dizon denied six shots in her WCU debut as the Cal State Bakersfield transfer was a force around the rim.
Tusculum is looking to reload after losing its top eight scorers from last season's team, with six of those posting triple-digit point totals. The top-returning Pioneer in terms of scoring is Josie Horner, who posted 48 points a year ago. Seven of those points came in Tusculum's game against ETSU, as Horner was tied for second on the team in scoring against the Bucs.
Up Next for The Catamounts:
WCU hits the road for the first time in the 2025-26 season as it heads to Buies Creek, N.C., to battle the Campbell Fighting Camels on Nov. 12. Tip against the CAA foe is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Gore Arena/Pope Convention Center.
The Catamounts return home for a Nov. 16 doubleheader as they host the currently #6/7 Oklahoma Sooners at 3:30 p.m. in the nightcap of the twin bill. The Catamount men's team opens the day with the Stetson Hatters at 1 p.m.
