CLEVELAND, Ohio – Below is a team-by-team preview for the 2024-25 MAC Women's Basketball season.
The MAC women’s basketball season begins today, Nov. 4 with the MAC-SBC Challenge and will culminate with the 2025 MAC Women’s Basketball Tournament at Rocket Mortgage FiedHouse on March 12-15, 2025.
MAC-SBC Challenge Women’s Basketball Matchups
Georgia State at Akron
Old Dominion at Ball State
Southern Miss at Bowling Green
Troy at Buffalo
Coastal Carolina at Central Michigan
Texas State at Eastern Michigan
James Madison at Kent State
Appalachian State at Miami
Louisiana at Northern Illinois
Georgia Southern at Ohio
Marshall at Toledo
Arkansas State at Western Michigan
Team-By-Team Previews (In Preseason Coaches Poll Predicted Order)
1. Ball State
As the Ball State women's basketball team awaits the opportunity to write its story for the 2024-25 season, the Mid-American Conference's 12 head coaches provided a nice prologue by naming the Cardinals the preseason favorite to win both the league's regular season and tournament titles. The Cardinals also placed seniors Ally Becki and Madelyn Bischoff on the Preseason All-MAC Team, with Becki earning a spot on the first team and Bischoff tabbed on the second team.
For the second consecutive season, the Ball State women's basketball team will host a nationally televised regular season contest when Mid-American Conference rival Toledo visits Worthen Arena on Monday, Jan. 20 at 11 a.m. ET. This will also be the third season in a row the Cardinals will play on a national stage. Ball State has been chosen to display its past success on ESPN2, ESPNU and CBS Sports Network. Last year, Ball State won both of its nationally televised contests beating Toledo, 65-61, in Muncie on CBSN and Kent State on the road on ESPNU by a score of 75-71.
Ball State had a highly successful 2023-24 season under the direction of head coach Brady Sallee who is entering his 13th season.
The Cardinals tallied 28 overall wins and 16 MAC victories, with both being program records. Ball State earned the No. 2 seed in the MAC Tournament, reaching the semifinals for the third-straight season, and received votes in the USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll for nine straight weeks during the year.
Ball State ended the season by hosting the first round of the inaugural NCAA Women's Basketball Invitation Tournament.
Ball State returns Ally Becki and Madeyln Bischoff who were both post season All-MAC selections. Becki earned All-MAC FIrst Team honors while Bischoff was selected All-MAC Third Team.
Four returning starters have 700+ career points going into the 2024-25 season; Ally Becki (1,191), Madelyn Bischoff (825), Alex Richard (727) and Marie Kiefer (726).
2. Kent State
Both teams enter the season with championships aspirations. Led by ninth-year head coach Todd Starkey, the Golden Flashes were picked second in the Preseason MAC Poll and sit at No. 16 in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll entering the season. The Dukes are the preseason favorite in the Sun Belt and ranked No. 13 in the Mid-Major Top 25.
Guard Jenna Batsch was named to the Preseason All-MAC First Team and leads a trio of returning starters from last season's NCAA Tournament team. Batsch earned All-MAC Third Team accolades last season, averaging 13.3 points per game while shooting 38.9% from three-point range. Forward Bridget Dunn (6.9 ppg, 7.3 rpg) played her best ball in a Kent State uniform down the stretch and was named to the All-MAC Tournament Team. Juniors Corynne Hauser (9.8 ppg, 4.2 apg) and Dionna Gray (4.9 ppg) bring experience to the point guard position, while forward Janae Tyler (9.7 ppg) moves into a larger role after earning MAC All-Freshman Team honors last season.
3. Buffalo
The University at Buffalo women's basketball team will open the 2024-25 season, the third in the Becky Burke era, on Monday night as they welcome Troy to Alumni Arena at 6pm in the first game of the MAC-SBC Challenge.
While the Bulls return just five players overall, those players include three starters and 70% of the offensive production from a squad that earned a trip to the Mid-American Conference Tournament championship game and a postseason WNIT appearance. Buffalo then added six transfers and three freshmen to its 14-player roster.
Fifth year guard Chellia Watson returns for her final season after putting together a prolific scoring season as a senior, as she led the MAC and ranked fifth in the nation in scoring at 23.0 points per game while adding 5.1 rebounds and 3.3 assists per contest. She also led the league and ranked in the top 10 nationally in field goals made (297), field goals made per game (9.0) and total points (759).
Sophomore guard Kirsten Lewis-Williams looks to build off a phenomenal rookie season in which she earned MAC Freshman of the Year honors, averaging 11.8 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game while also shooting 46% from the floor. Fellow sophomore Alexis Davis also returns after averaging 7.8 points per game while leading the team in rebounding.
4. Bowling Green
The Bowling Green State University women's basketball team begins the 2024-25 season on Monday evening (Nov. 4). Head coach Fred Chmiel and the Falcons face the University of Southern Mississippi in the MAC-Sun Belt Challenge, with tipoff set for 7:00 p.m. at the Stroh Center.
The Falcons have been picked to finish fourth in the Mid-American Conference in the 2024-25 season. The MAC office released the Women's Basketball Coaches' Preseason Poll and the Preseason All-MAC Teams – determined via voting by the league's 12 head coaches – on Oct. 22.
A pair of Falcons, Amy Velasco and Erika Porter, were named to the Preseason All-MAC Team, with Velasco being named to the first team and Porter earning second-team honors.
The Falcons return seven players from the 2023-24 team that went 16-15 overall and 10-8 in MAC play. BG won four of the last six regular-season games, and the Falcons advanced to national postseason play with trip to the WNIT.
BGSU was picked to finish fourth in the MAC in the preseason coaches poll last season. Despite losing more than 120 player-games due to injury in 2023-24, the Falcons finished the regular season in a tie for fourth in the conference.
BG was 8-5 at home, 6-9 on the road and 2-1 at neutral sites last season. In MAC play, the Falcons went 6-3 at the Stroh and 4-5 away from home.
5. Toledo
The Toledo women's basketball team will open a new chapter in its history when the Rockets tip off their season against Marshall on Monday, Nov. 4 at Savage Arena. The matchup with the Thundering Herd will begin at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.
The Rockets will play their first game under Head Coach Ginny Boggess, who was hired as the 10th Head Coach in program history on April 9, 2024. Boggess will embark in her fourth year as a Division I head coach, having gone 54-42 in three seasons at Monmouth, which included winning the 2023 CAA Tournament title and a 20-win turnaround overall.
Toledo is coming off a 28-6 record in 2023-24, just one win short of the program record for wins in a season. The Rockets clinched their third-straight MAC regular-season championship with a 17-1 conference record and reached the third round of the WBIT in the postseason.
UT returns three starters from last year's roster in Nan Garcia, Khera Goss and Sammi Mikonowicz, along with reserves Jessica Cook, Cadence Dykstra, Hannah Noveroske, Emmi Rinat and Ella Weaver. Toledo brings in six freshmen in Kendall Braden, Evalyse Cole, Faith Fedd-Robinson, Destiny Robinson, Courtney Smith and Heidi Smith, along with transfer Kendall Carruthers.
T6. Northern Illinois
The Northern Illinois University women's basketball team opens the 2024-25 season Monday morning at 11 a.m. at the NIU Convocation Center against the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns on Education Day. The game is part of the first round of this season's MAC-Sun Belt Challenge.
Head Coach Lisa Carlsen enters her 10th season at NIU. She is the third NIU women's basketball head coach to reach double-digit seasons on the bench. Carlsen is second all-time in wins at NIU with 134, getting the Huskies to the Mid-American Conference Tournament in Cleveland six times. NIU has made it to Cleveland five times in the last six years.
T6. Ohio
Ohio concluded the 2023-24 season with a 11-19 overall and 8-10 conference record. The Bobcats returned to the MAC Tournament where they ended their season with a 77-53 loss to No. 2 seed Ball State. Ohio's roster for the 2024-25 season is made up on nine returners and seven newcomers. Ohio's new players include two transfers, one sophomore, one redshirt freshman and three freshmen. Ohio returns its top three scorers and several other standouts from the 2023-24 season.
Last season, the Bobcats averaged 63.8 PPG; shooting 39.0 percent from the field, 28.6 percent from the arc and 68.9 percent from the line. The team averaged 30.9 rebounds, 11.3 assists and 11 steals per game. The Bobcats forced 21.3 turnovers per game and averaged 18.9 points off turnovers.
Ohio's opponents averaged 71.5 PPG; shooting 42.5 percent from the field, 30.6 percent from the arc and 73.2 percent from the line. Opponents averaged 42.3 rebounds, 15.1 assists and nine steals per game. Opponents forced 18.6 turnovers per games and averaged 19.3 points off turnovers.
8. Miami
The Miami University women's basketball team opens the 2024-25 season by hosting Appalachian State on Monday, Nov. 4. Opening tip is slated for 7 p.m.
Head coach Glenn Box added seven new players to the roster, including four freshman and three transfers from Illinois, Mercer and Loyola Chicago.
Miami returns four of its top five scorers from last season, led by Amber Tretter (10.3), Katey Richason (8.7), Cori Lard (6.6) and Lakresha Edwards (6.0). Tretter (7.7) and Richason (5.7) were Miami's top two rebounders as well.
Miami ranked fifth in the MAC in scoring defense (63.8) and field goal defense (.397) last season and were fourth in steals (8.5). In conference games, Miami was third in defense (60.4) and first in field goal percentage (.381).
9. Akron
The University of Akron women's basketball team opens its 51st season of intercollegiate basketball welcoming Georgia State to James A. Rhodes Arena as part of the Mid-American Conference – Sun Belt Conference Challenge. The 6 p.m. tilt with the Panthers will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Michael Reghi and Jeff Phelps on the call as well as on GoZips.com with Bill Morgan calling the action.
The 2024-25 season marks the 51st season of competition for the Akron women's basketball program.
Akron tied Marist and Tennessee State for the D1 lead in overtime games playing in five last season. The five overtime contests are the most in a single season in program history. Additionally, Akron matched or outrebounded its opponents 14 times last season, including in eight of 18 league games.
The Zips recorded two or more blocks in 20 games on the 2023-24 campaign, while recording 55 career-high marks last season in point, rebounds, assists, steals, blocks and minutes played.
The Zips owned season-high marks in scoring (88-BELL), field goals made (29-OAK | PITT | BELL), triples (14-BELL), offensive rebounds (24 ASU), defensive rebounds (34-OAK), rebounds (49-OAK | RMU), assists (18-OAK | PITT | BG-2 | NIU-2), steals (13-CMU-2) and blocks (6-NIU-2).
Seven different Akron players scored in double figures last season led by Reagan Bass (24), Morgan Haney (15), junior Lanae Riley (Akron, Ohio) (11), senior Kaia Woods (Tiffin, Ohio) (9), sophomore Teniesha Clarke (Burlington, Ontario) (6) and seniors Zakia Rasheed (Avon, Ind.) (5) and Alexus Mobley (Indianapolis, Ind.) (5).
Akron connected on five or more three pointers in 94 of its last 122 contests overall. The Zips hit on a season-high 14 triples in an 88-65 victory over Bellarmine (Dec. 21, 2023).
10. Western Michigan
Preview story coming soon.
11. Eastern Michigan
When the ball tips between Eastern and Texas State Monday night, it will mark the start of the Sahar Nusseibeh era at EMU. The ninth head coach in program history and the first sitting head coach hired away to lead EMU since Suzy Merchant in 1998, Nusseibeh comes to Ypsilanti following three years as the head coach at Canisius.
A rising coaching star while in the MAAC, Nusseibeh is no stranger the MAC as she previously served as an assistant coach at Miami (2019-21) and Bowling Green (2013-16). A 2009 graduate of American, Nusseibeh got her coaching start as a graduate assistant at Cincinnati (2009-11) before coaching stints at Holy Cross (2011-13), and Manhattan (2016-19), where she was tabbed as the associate head coach.
Seven Eagles returned to the 2024-25 roster after being members of the program last year. Olivia Smith (junior) and ZaNiya Nelson (graduate) are the top two returning scorers following the departure of the team's top three from last year. Smith and Olivia Westphal (redshirt junior) were 1-3 last year on the team in three-point shooting while Nelson is the top returning rebounder at 4.1 per contest. Joining the trio are graduate Ashley Hassett, senior Kyndal Lewis, and redshirt sophomores Dara Capaldi and Elena Cabello.
Looking at the seven players returning for the 2024-25 season, the group represents 35.8 percent of the returning scoring (594 points) and 63.1 percent of made three-point baskets (82). Additionally, 33.5 percent of the team's assists are back this year (96) along with 24.6 percent of all rebounds (259).
12. Central Michigan
The Chippewas take the court in year two under the direction of Head Coach Kristin Haynie, along with the program's entire coaching staff returning from the 2023-24 campaign.
Returning players include senior Lisa Tesson (Montréal, Québec / Royal Crown), junior Taylor Anderson (South Lyon, Mich. / South Lyon East), sophomore Desrae Kyles (Benton Harbor, Mich. / Benton Harbor) and redshirt-junior Satori Griffin (Mount Pleasant, Mich. / Mount Pleasant).
CMU added 10 newcomers throughout the offseason, split evenly between true freshmen and college transfers.
