MITCHELL, S.D. — Dakota Wesleyan Women’s Basketball has released their schedule for the 2025-2026 season, led by Jason Christensen, who begins his 16th year as head coach of the program. The 2025-26 season includes an eye-catching 28-game slate. Per usual, the Tigers will face 22 conference games with six non-conference games. Five of those six non-conference games will be against opponents that were in the NAIA Women’s Basketball Coaches’ top 25 final poll.
Regarding the schedule, Coach Christensen stated, “I wanted to make sure that I aligned our non-conference schedule with our regular season schedule. The GPAC is stacked, and on any given night, anyone can pull out a win. This season will be the toughest schedule in program history.”
To kick off the season, the Tigers will open with an exhibition game against NCAA Division I opponent Drake University at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa, on October 28th. This will be a great test for the Tigers as their season gets underway. Last year, the Missouri Valley Conference powerhouse went 22-12 on the year, falling in the WBIT to Marquette University. This will be the first matchup for the Bulldogs and the Tigers.
Your Tigers will officially open their season at The World’s Only Corn Palace on November 4th against non-conference opponent, Bismarck State College (ND). The Mystics head into their inaugural year with the NAIA and will be in the Frontier Conference. The rest of the Tigers’ non-conference schedule will be highlighted with great competition and physical play against Top 25 matchups. November 7th and 8th, they will play a pair of games at the Cattle Classic hosted by Concordia University. The Tigers will first face MidAmerica Nazarene University, who were tabbed 10th in the final poll. They finished the year 28-4 before falling in the opening rounds of the National Tournament. The following day, Dakota Wesleyan will face Arizona Christian University. The Firestorm ended the year ranked 14th with a 25-6 record.
The Tigers’ last three non-conference games will come in December. First starting at Dakota State University on December 2nd, in the Battle of the Blues. Last year, the Trojans finished 25-5 and ended the year ranked eighth in the final poll. Lastly, the Tigers will see another pair of rated opponents at the Hoops in Hawaii Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii, on December 18th and 19th. The Tigers will have some fierce competition against the University of Providence, which finished 22-8 and was rated 21st, and Campbellsville University, which finished 28-4 and was rated third in the final poll.
For their conference schedule, the Tigers will again face tough competition as a member of one of the best conferences in the Nation. The GPAC conference finished with a total of five teams in the final poll, and four of those five teams were ranked in the top 25. The Tigers will open conference play on November 15th against the Hastings Broncos, who split with the Tigers last year and finished the year being rated 18th in the final poll.
Important home dates to mark on your calendars at The World’s Only Corn Palace:
· September 19 – Men’s and Women’s Basketball meet-and-greet
· January 10 – Dakota Wesleyan vs. Mount Marty – Alumni Day
· January 28 – Dakota Wesleyan vs. Briar Cliff – Pink the Palace
· February 18 – Dakota Wesleyan vs. Dordt – Senior Day
All the home games will be played at The World’s Only Corn Palace and will be streamed on DWU Tigers’ YouTube Page, brought to you by LiveTicket.tv.