Lisa Stone has been a basketball head coach for 36 years. When her 10-year run coaching Saint Louis University (SLU) ended in 2022, she wasn’t sure where her career would take her next.

While Henderson’s departure left questions about the program, the hire of a proven winner — Stone — sets the Bears up for an intriguing 2024-25 season.

“I just want the athletic department to listen,” said a former player. “It sends a really strong message to the rest of the people who are on the team that people are going through stuff, leaving, and nothing is going to change.” 

The team’s tournament run ended abruptly in the first round, however, as they fell to the University of Wisconsin-Stout Blue Devils 71-61 on Mar. 1.

Following a dominant win against Brandeis, the Washington University women’s basketball team needed to close its season with a big win against University Athletic Association (UAA) foe University of Chicago to secure its at-large spot in the NCAA tournament. 

“Winning 1,000 games is really special for the team and the coaches. This team has shown it is very capable of winning — we’re going to be a problem down the road.” 

The Bears had rattled off five straight wins before their trip to Atlanta and New York, catapulting them up the UAA standings and reviving their chances of an at-large NCAA tournament berth. This past weekend, the team had a chance to show off their improvement. They took full advantage of it, dominating No. 19 Emory and Rochester on Feb. 9 and 11, avenging their close losses from earlier this season. 

“To focus on this win streak is exciting, but it’s not our goal,” Brooks said. “We just want to win every game we can, get better every day as a team, and play for each other.”

After losing three out of their last four games, the Washington University women’s basketball team needed a big weekend to bolster their case for a March Madness berth as the Division III playoff race begins to take shape. Over the weekend, that’s exactly what they did, defeating Carnegie Mellon University on Jan. 26 and Case Western Reserve University on Jan. 28 in front of an electric home crowd.

“We have learned a lot about ourselves, and we believe we can become [better] with each challenge, and every UAA game is a challenge…We have to continue to focus on getting better each day.”