The SLU women’s basketball team will open the 2024-25 season on November 4, with a road game at South Dakota. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

ST. LOUIS, MO — The Saint Louis University athletics program announced the non-conference schedule for the its women’s basketball team on Wednesday. The Billikens will play 13 non-conference games, nine of which will be against teams that played in the postseason last year.

The challenging schedule comes on the heels of two of the most successful campaigns in school history. The Billikens won the WNIT last year and finished with a 22-18 record. Saint Louis won the Atlantic 10 Conference title in 2022-23 and made the program’s first trip to the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.

The Billikens begin the year November 4, taking on South Dakota in Vermillion. The Coyotes went to the WNIT last year. The season-opening road trip then takes the Bills to Des Moines for a matchup with NCAA participant and reigning Missouri Valley Conference champion Drake on November 7.

SLU’s home opener at Chaifetz Arena is set for November 12 when Illinois State comes to town. The Redbirds went to the WNIT a season ago. SLU faces another 2024 WNIT team, Southern Indiana, on November 17 in Evansville.

The SLU Billikens won 22 games and the Women’s NIT last season. (Photo courtesy: Atlantic 10 Conference)

A pair of in-state rivals are the Billikens’ next two opponents. SLU travels to Columbia to face Missouri on November 20. Missouri State, which played in the WBIT last year, visits Chaifetz Arena on November 23.

The Billikens head to California the week of Thanksgiving for two high-level games. SLU takes on California Baptist in Riverside on November 26. Last season, the Lancers went 28-4 and made the NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship.

On November 29, SLU heads to Palm Springs to face USC in the Acrisure Holiday Classic. The Trojans were a No. 1 seed in last year’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship and advanced to the Elite Eight.

Murray State, which played in the WNIT last season, visits Chaifetz Arena on December 3. The Billikens then travel to Washington, D.C., to play Norfolk State in the Coaches vs. Racism Roundball Classic at the Entertainment & Sports Arena, December 7. Norfolk State was an NCAA team a season ago, after winning the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

The Billikens conclude the non-conference schedule with three home games at the end of December. Ohio visits Chaifetz Arena on December 15; Valparaiso comes to town on December 18; and Bellarmine is the opponent on December 21.

Grad student forward Peyton Kennedy was the MVP of the WNIT last season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

The Atlantic 10 Conference schedule is expected to be released in the coming weeks. SLU found out its conference opponents back in June.

The Billikens will play home-and-home sets against Davidson, Dayton, Loyola Chicago, and Rhode Island. This season’s home-only opponents will be Fordham, George Mason, George Washington, La Salle, and UMass.

In road-only games, SLU will play Duquesne, Richmond, Saint Joseph’s, St. Bonaventure, and VCU.

2024-25 SLU Billikens Women’s Basketball Schedule

DateTimeAtOpponentLocation
November 4, 2024 (Monday)TBDAwaySouth DakotaVermillion, S.D.
November 7, 2024 (Thursday)TBDAwayDrakeDes Moines, Iowa
November 12, 2024 (Tuesday)TBDHomeIllinois StateChaifetz Arena
November 17, 2024 (Sunday)TBDAwaySouthern IndianaEvansville, Ind.
November 20, 2024 (Wednesday)TBDAwayMissouriColumbia, Mo.
November 23, 2024 (Saturday)TBDHomeMissouri StateSpringfield, Mo.
November 26, 2024 (Tuesday)TBDAwayCalifornia BaptistRiverside, Calif.
November 29, 2024 (Friday)5:30 pmNeutralSouthern CaliforniaPalm Springs, Calif. (Acrisure Arena)
December 3, 2024 (Tuesday)TBDHomeMurray StateChaifetz Arena
December 7, 2024 (Saturday)TBDNeutralNorfolk StateWashington, D.C. (Entertainment & Sports Arena)
December 15, 2024 (Sunday)TBDHomeOhioChaifetz Arena
December 18, 2024 (Wednesday)TBDHomeValparaisoChaifetz Arena
December 21, 2024 (Saturday)TBDHomeBellarmineChaifetz Arena