Racer women release non-conference slate
WBB: Murray State will play four games (plus an exhibition) at home before Valley play begins
Murray State’s women released their 2025-26 non-conference schedule Thursday, as they prepare to once again try to climb to the top of the Missouri Valley Conference. Here are some biographical sketches of who the Racers will face before Christmas.
November 3rd vs. Trevecca Nazarene (Exhibition)
Last season: 8-20 overall, 5-17 Gulf South Conference
The Division II Trojans are now being led by new head coach Doug Novak. This will be the Racers only exhibition game, as Murray State Head Coach Rechelle Turner has opted to bypass a second exhibition so her Racers can participate in a secret scrimmage against another Division I team.
November 7th at Southern Indiana
Last season: 23-13 overall, 12-8 Ohio Valley Conference, 2nd Round of WNIT
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #149
The Racers will open the season on the road in Evansville, looking to avenge last year’s 82-75 loss to the Screaming Eagles in Murray. USI lost in the OVC Tournament semifinals, before making it to the Super 16 in the WNIT where they lost to Buffalo. Ali Saunders, who averaged 10.5 PPG last season, is the only one of Southern Indiana’s top five scorers from a year ago that returns this season.
November 11th at South Dakota State
Last season: 30-4 overall, 16-0 Summit League, 10-seed in NCAA Tournament
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #43
This may be the toughest game Murray State will play all season, as they take on arguably the best mid-major team in the country in South Dakota State. The Jackrabbits’ four losses last year came to #16 Duke, Georgia Tech, #6 Texas and #3 UConn. SDSU returns four of their top six scorers from last year, including their leading scorer, Brooklyn Meyer, who averaged 17.0 PPG. In the transfer portal, the Jackrabbits added Evansville’s top producer in Maggie Hartwig. The 6’1 forward scored 16.5 points and grabbed 9.5 rebounds per game last season for the Purple Aces.
November 15th vs. Saint Louis
Last season: 15-19 overall, 7-11 Atlantic 10
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #199
The Racers will host the Billikens in a return game from last year’s 91-66 win in St. Louis. It’s a new-look year for SLU as they’ll have to replace their top-five scorers from a year ago. Mia Bergstrom, who averaged 4.5 PPG last season, is their top returning scorer.
November 18th at Illinois
Last season: 22-10 overall, 11-7 Big Ten, 8-seed in the NCAA Tournament
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #29
For those without an atlas handy, Oakwood, Illinois is 27 miles away from Champaign, Illinois. Conveniently, the Fighting Illini are now ready to play the Racers after Oakwood, Illinois native Katelyn Young, who happens to be Murray State’s all-time leading scorer, has graduated. But I digress.
The Illini graduated their top four scorers off a team that made the second round of the NCAA Tournament back in March. This will be the third-ever meeting between the two schools, and the first since 2018.
November 22nd vs. UAB
Last season: 16-16 overall, 7-11 in The American
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #175
This is the front-end of a home-and-home series between the two schools. This will be the fifth all-time meeting, with UAB leading 4-0, but the first since 1995.
November 28th-29th at Daytona Beach Classic
Opponents: TBD
For one reason or another, the Racers are still yet to learn their opponents for this two-day event in Daytona Beach, Florida. This will be the first MTE the Racers have played in since 2015.
December 3rd at Morehead State
Last season: 10-20 overall, 5-15 in Ohio Valley Conference
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #316
This will be a homecoming game for Murray State junior guard Haven Ford, who is from Morehead, Kentucky. The old Ohio Valley Conference rivals will renew acquaintances for the first time since the Racers left for the Missouri Valley Conference.
December 6th at Austin Peay
Last season: 13-18 overall, 7-11 in the ASUN
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #243
It’s another matchup between old Ohio Valley Conference rivals. The Racers hung 116 points on the board in their blowout win over the Govs last season. Murray State has won three out of the last four in the series. Peay returns Anovia Sheals, who was third on the team with 11.0 points per game last season. The Govs top two scorers, Sa’Mya Wyatt (12.8 PPG) and La’Nya Foster (11.9 PPG), both entered the transfer portal after last season.
December 15th vs. Memphis
Last season: 7-23 overall, 5-13 in The American
2024-25 NCAA NET Ranking: #206
Coming off an unexpectedly disappointing season, the Tigers are going through a complete rebuild. After averaging 68.9 points per game last year, Memphis is returning just two players who combined to average 6.2 points per game. This game will be the back-end of a home-and-home series, as the Racers will try to beat Memphis for the third-straight time.
December 20th vs. Lindsey Wilson
Last season: 16-14 overall, 3-9 in the Mid-South Conference
The final non-conference game has the Racers stepping out of Division I to play against the NAIA Blue Raiders. Murray State beat Lindsey Wilson, 102-45, in the Racers’ 2023-24 exhibition game when Rechelle Turner’s high-speed ‘system’ was unleashed for the first time.