Women's Basketball 11/2/2025 10:00:00 AM

Women’s Basketball Opens 2025-26 Season Monday Night at Wake Forest

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Radford women's basketball team gets their 2025-26 campaign underway on Monday, November 3rd, when they take on ACC foe Wake Forest at 5 p.m. at the Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum.

SETTING THE STAGE
Opponent: Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Date/Time: Monday, November 3rd at 5:00 PM
Location: Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Winston-Salem, N.C.

FOLLOW THE ACTION
Listen to All Games Live with Tom Purvis on WRAD AM 1460
Watch on ACC Network Extra (ACCNX)
Follow Live Stats Here

IT'S GAMEDAY: The Radford women's basketball team begins their 55th season and 41st at the NCAA Division I level at Wake Forest. The Highlanders open the season against an ACC opponent for the second-straight season, after losing to #11 Duke 89-36 to start last year. Radford looks to win their opening game for the first time since taking down Concord 77-53 in 2023 at the Dedmon Center. Overall, the Highlanders are 4-7 against Wake Forest, having taken the last matchup 68-60 on 12/10/16. A win would give Radford consecutive wins against the Demon Deacons for the first time since 1978 and 1983.

McGuire Milestone Watch: With a win, Head Coach Mike McGuire will tie Radford Hall of Famer and first women's basketball coach Pat Barrett (1971-84) with 193 career victories. McGuire begins his 13th season leading the program and is the longest tenured active coach in the Big South. He's looking for his fourth triumph against a power opponent, having beaten Wake Forest (2016-17), Penn State (2017-18), and Virginia (2018-19).

Big South Preseason Awards: Joi Williams and Cate Carlson were both selected to the Big South All-Conference First Team last month, while the Highlanders were selected to finish third with one first-place vote in the preseason poll. Williams begins her junior campaign after leading Radford with 12.2 points per game, 2.6 assists per game while shooting 39% from three and 44% overall. She was named first team all-conference at the end of last season. Carlson averaged 10.3 points per game with a 37.5% three-point shooting percentage to receive honorable mention all-conference honors last year. High Point is the preseason favorite, taking the top spot in the preseason poll with 77 points and six first-place votes.

Welcome to Radford: There are plenty of new faces in the program, from several experienced coaching staff additions to the strong incoming freshman class. Making their debuts with the Highlanders are Associate Coach Jessica Jackson, Assistant Coach Alley Odell, and Assistant Coach Joe Reid. On the court, freshmen Anna Chacha (6'2" forward), Lindsee Williams (6'4" center), Cherish Haywood (5'10" guard), Amanda Mitchell (6'2" forward), and Georgia Simonsen (6'1" forward) make their debuts out of high school. Also new to the program is Anaiah Jenkins, who transfers in after starting her collegiate career at Towson. She appeared in 55 games and started in 18 for the Tigers, totaling 142 points over two seasons.

FOLLOW RADFORD WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
To follow the Radford women's basketball team throughout the season, visit RadfordAthletics.com, follow @Radford_WBB on X, 'radford_wbb' Instagram or Radford Women's Basketball on Facebook.

#RadfordTough | #RiseAndDefend

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Players Mentioned

#8 Cate Carlson: G; 5' 10"; Junior

#4 Joi Williams: G; 5' 6"; Junior

#22 Amanda Mitchell: F; 6' 2"; Freshman

#14 Lindsee Williams: C; 6' 4"; Freshman

#15 Cherish Haywood: G; 5' 10"; Freshman

#23 Georgia Simonsen: F; 6' 1"; Freshman

#44 Anaiah Jenkins: F; 6' 0"; Junior

#2 Anna Chacha: F; 6' 2"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#8 Cate Carlson
: 5' 10"; Junior
: G

#4 Joi Williams
: 5' 6"; Junior
: G

#22 Amanda Mitchell
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: F

#14 Lindsee Williams
: 6' 4"; Freshman
: C

#15 Cherish Haywood
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: G

#23 Georgia Simonsen
: 6' 1"; Freshman
: F

#44 Anaiah Jenkins
: 6' 0"; Junior
: F

#2 Anna Chacha
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: F