SPRINGFIELD – Missouri State women's basketball head coach Beth Cunningham announced today the Lady Bears' 13-game non-conference slate, which features six home games and four postseason teams from a season ago.
 
The Lady Bears will open the 2025-26 season at home against Saint Louis on Monday, Nov. 3, marking the fourth consecutive year SLU and MoState have faced off. The Billikens went 15-19 overall last season, including a 7-11 ledger in the Atlantic 10. SLU finished its season with a loss in the A-10 Championship quarterfinals.
 
Missouri State hits the road for the first time with a trip to UT Arlington on Friday, Nov. 7. The Mavericks went 18-14 last season with a 10-6 record in the Western Athletic Conference, which featured an appearance in the WAC championship game. UTA made a postseason appearance with a WNIT bid, advancing to the second round before falling to North Texas.
 
MoState will face SEMO for a third consecutive season as the Lady Bears travel to Cape Girardeau, Mo. on Tuesday, Nov. 11. The Redhawks went 6-23 last season and fell to Missouri State 77-49 in last year's meeting.
 
The Lady Bears and Wichita State will meet in a neutral site game held in Kansas City, Mo. on Saturday, Nov. 15. It marks the third year in a row the old conference foes will face off. The Shockers went 10-22 overall last season (4-14 American Conference) and lost in the first round of the American Conference Championship to end the year.
 
After three games away from home, Missouri State returns to Springfield to welcome Georgia Southern on Tuesday, Nov. 18. The matchup will mark the first-ever meeting between the two squads. The Eagles went 16-18 overall (6-12 Sun Belt) last season and fell in the third round of the Sun Belt Conference Championship to close the year.
 
MoState returns to the road for a four-game stretch, beginning with a trip to Tulsa on Saturday, Nov. 22. The Lady Bears and Golden Hurricane met last season with MoState earning a 63-61 victory. Tulsa went 17-15 on the year and earned the fifth seed in the American after finishing conference play with an 11-7 record. TU fell in the second round of the American Conference Championship, but went on to earn a bid to the WNIT.
 
Missouri State will then head to Fort Myers, Fla., to participate in Coconut Hoops with games on Friday, Nov. 28 and Sunday, Nov. 30. The Lady Bears will face Florida State and a second opponent will be announced at a later date. MSU and FSU will face off in an MTE for the second consecutive season after meeting in the Paradise Jam last year. The Seminoles went 24-9 overall and 13-5 in the ACC last season, and advanced to the NCAA Tournament where they fell in the second round to No. 10 LSU.
 
The final road game of the non-conference slate features a trip to New Orleans, La., as the Lady Bears take on Tulane on Thursday, Dec. 4. The game will mark the first meeting between the teams since the 2023-24 season, in which MoState earned a 70-60 victory. The Green Wave went 17-13 (9-8 American Conference) last season and ended the season with a loss to South Florida in the American Conference Championship quarterfinals.
 
The Lady Bears close out their non-conference schedule with four consecutive home games against Kansas (Dec. 7), Arkansas (Dec. 13), Gonzaga (Dec. 19) and Central Arkansas (Dec. 22).
 
MoState will face both Kansas and Arkansas for the first time since the 2016-17 season. The Jayhawks went 16-14 (6-12 Big 12) last season, while the Razorbacks owned a 10-22 (3-14 SEC) record in 2024-25.
 
Missouri State and Gonzaga met a year ago at the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands as MoState earned a 65-64 win over the Bulldogs. Gonzaga earned a share of the West Coast Conference regular season title and was the No. 1 overall seed in the WCC Basketball Championship. Following a loss in the semifinals of the conference tournament to Oregon State, the Bulldogs earned a spot in the WBIT field where they fell in overtime in the quarterfinals to eventual WBIT champion Minnesota.
 
Lastly, Missouri State and Central Arkansas will meet for the first time ever. The Sugar Bears posted a 23-10 record last season, including a 15-3 ledger in the ASUN that earned them the No. 2 seed in the conference tournament. UCA advanced to the ASUN title game before falling to regular-season champion Florida Gulf Coast.
 
Missouri State's 18-game Conference USA schedule was released in early July with the conference opener set for Sunday, Jan. 4 at FIU.
 
Season tickets for the upcoming season are on sale now with purchase options available online, by calling (417) 836-7678, or visiting the box office at Great Southern Bank Arena during regular box office hours.
 
Game start times and single-game ticket information will be announced at a later date.
 
Head coach Beth Cunningham and the Lady Bears are coming off a 26-9 season that saw Missouri State win a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular-season title and make an appearance in the WBIT for the second consecutive year. The 2024-25 season marked Missouri State's eighth consecutive 20-win season and 10th straight season with a postseason appearance. The Lady Bears return seven players from a season ago, while adding a group of seven newcomers that is comprised of four transfers and three freshmen.