With the No. 15 women’s team’s 93-35 win, and the No. 2 men’s team’s 107-57 victory later that night, WashU played its final basketball games against its neighbor Fontbonne, which will close after the 2024-25 academic year. Fontbonne’s gym and facilities will soon adorn WashU red and green, when WashU absorbs Fontbonne’s land into its campus over the summer. 

WashU now sits at 5-1 on the young season, and is ranked No. 11 in the D3Hoops.com poll for the second straight week. In the game against Illinois Wesleyan, the Bears have shown that they can contend with the best teams in Division III, but still lack a statement victory against a ranked opponent. 

As an exchange student currently studying at WashU, one section of my application especially stood out to me. On-campus housing was really, really expensive. Having grown up in the US, this struck me as odd.

The Bears defeated Augustana 45-24 on Nov. 16, finishing their regular season schedule and commemorating Senior Day with a meaningful victory. The 2024 Bears finished their regular season with an 8-2 record, becoming the ninth team in program history to win at least eight games. 

One year later, the Bears are back on the prowl for the program’s second-ever national championship, and their journey to Las Vegas kicks off in St. Louis this weekend.

Pressured deep into the backfield on a first down try, Moore found senior running back Ken Hamilton open. Hamilton ran 25 yards after the catch for a first down. Two plays later, he ran into the end zone to give WashU the lead with just 48 seconds left. The Bears held that lead, defeating North Park 28-21 on Nov. 9.

After finishing last season with an NCAA Division III Sweet 16 loss to Trine University, WashU opened the 2024-2025 season with a decisive 75-53 win at home against Rhodes College. 

Even as much of the roster remains intact, this year, expectations are different. As with any season, WashU wants to be that one team left standing. And this year, more than any year in the recent past, they have the pieces to do it.

When the No. 18 WashU women’s basketball team tips off its season on Nov. 15, it won’t just start a new season for the Bears. It’ll start a new era with coach Lisa Stone at the helm.  With two preseason All-Americans — graduate-student guard Jessica Brooks and sophomore center Lexy Harris — leading a deep lineup, Stone’s program, ranked 18th in the country in the preseason d3hoops.com poll, has the potential to run the table in 2024-25. 

 In the face of pressure, the Bears excelled once again, beating the Yellowjackets 2-0 to earn their second straight UAA championship and an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA tournament. The conference title is the 17th in program history,  and the Bears have now won at least a share of nine of the last 10 conference championships.