Columbia News

The University of Missouri women's basketball team has released its non-conference schedule for the upcoming season, featuring 15 games including nine at home and two against in-state opponents. The announcement was made Tuesday.

Missouri will open the season on November 3 at Mizzou Arena against Central Arkansas, followed by a road game at Tulane on November 6. A notable highlight is the return of the Border Showdown with Kansas, scheduled for November 15 at T-Mobile Center in Kansas City. This marks the first regular-season meeting between the rivals since 2012; their last encounter was during the 2023 Women's National Invitation Tournament.

In late November, Missouri will travel to Florida to participate in two events. On November 23, they face Washington State in the WBCA Showcase at Disney World's Wide World of Sports Complex. Over Thanksgiving break, they play Bradley on November 28 and Northwestern on November 29 as part of the Ft. Myers Tip-Off.

Upon returning home, Missouri will host Cal on December 3 as part of the SEC/ACC Challenge. The Tigers are set to welcome Illinois to Columbia for the Braggin' Rights contest on December 10 before heading to St. Louis to play the Billikens on December 14.

The non-conference schedule concludes with home games against North Alabama on December 21 and Kansas City on December 28.

Before official competition begins, Missouri will hold an exhibition game against Maryville on October 28 at Mizzou Arena.

This season introduces Kellie Harper as head coach. "This season marks head coach Kellie Harper's first year at the helm of the program." In March, Harper became only the fifth coach in program history. "In 20 seasons as a Division I head coach, Harper has led her teams to a 393-260 record with nine NCAA Tournament berths. She has piloted her squads to 15 top-three league finishes and four conference tournament championships. Including her playing career at Tennessee, Harper has 11 seasons of SEC experience. In 2022-23, Harper led the Lady Volunteers to the NCAA Sweet 16 for a second consecutive season."

Junior Grace Slaughter returns after being named SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the previous season and averaging 15 points per game along with contributing rebounds.

Missouri's roster includes seven transfer additions: Chloe Sotell (Pepperdine), Jayla Smith (Purdue), Lisa Thompson (Rutgers), Sydney Mains (Florida Atlantic), Shannon Dowell (Illinois State), Jordana Reisma (Cleveland State), Saniah Tyler (Kentucky), and freshman Reka Toman.

Game times and television information will be announced later.

Season tickets for next year are available through ticketmaster.com/Mizzou or by calling Mizzou Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-CAT-PAWS. Current ticket holders can renew through their Mizzou Tigers account.

For updates and more information about Missouri women's basketball, fans can visit MUTigers.com or follow team accounts on social media platforms such as Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.