No. 15 women's basketball advances to Sweet Sixteen for first time since 2019

The Bears convincingly defeated SUNY Geneseo and scratched out a win against Ohio Wesleyan.

Mar. 15, 2026 at 10:10am

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The No. 15 WashU women's basketball team made a competitive run in the NCAA Division III Tournament, defeating SUNY Geneseo and Ohio Wesleyan to advance to the Sweet Sixteen for the first time since 2019.

Why it matters

Making the Sweet Sixteen is a significant accomplishment for the WashU women's basketball team, as they have not reached this stage of the tournament since 2019. This deep postseason run showcases the team's talent and resilience, and will generate excitement and support from the university community.

The details

In the first round, the Bears convincingly defeated SUNY Geneseo 65-53, with a strong defensive effort led by senior forward Jordan Rich. In the second round, the Bears faced a tough challenge from Ohio Wesleyan, but prevailed 73-68 behind strong performances from junior center Lexy Harris and junior guard Sidney Rogers.

  • The Bears played their first two tournament games on March 6 and 7.
  • The Bears will face the No. 5 University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh on Friday, March 13th at 8 p.m.

The players

Lisa Stone

The head coach of the WashU women's basketball team.

Jordan Rich

A senior forward for the WashU women's basketball team.

Lexy Harris

A junior center for the WashU women's basketball team.

Sidney Rogers

A junior guard for the WashU women's basketball team.

Paige Seckar

The sophomore Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Association Player of the Year, who leads the University of Wisconsin–Oshkosh team that WashU will face in the Sweet Sixteen.

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What they’re saying

“It's been a long time since WashU has made this deep of a run and we are not done yet.”

— Lisa Stone, WashU head coach

“I think our team puts a lot of pressure on ourselves. And definitely at the beginning of the game, we were a little bit nervous. I think that [our defense] really helped us, and then we were able to start slowing down the ball as we were picking up full court.”

— Jordan Rich, Senior forward

“I think it's a matter of just staying aggressive the whole time. You can't ever let the defense break so just trying to keep pushing pace, keep trying to get them to scramble.”

— Sidney Rogers, Junior guard

“[I] wouldn't have done it without [junior guard] Cat [Goodwin], Sid [Rogers], Jordan [Rich], and all of our other guards who just feed the ball super well. It was a really good spark for us and really got our energy up to then come out strong for the rest of the fourth quarter.”

— Lexy Harris, Junior center

What’s next

The winner of the WashU–Oshkosh contest will face either No. 9 Hope College or the No. 17 University of Chicago for a spot in the Final Four.

The takeaway

This deep postseason run for the WashU women's basketball team showcases the program's talent and resilience, and will generate excitement and support from the university community as they continue their quest for a national championship.