Pacific Index

Recapping the 2025-26 women’s basketball season

   With the 2025-26 women’s basketball season coming to close on February 20, the Boxers are looking to rebound (no pun intended) from a difficult stretch of games and finish their season with some big wins.

   The Boxers record currently sits at eight wins and twelve losses with five games to go, but their record might be a little misleading. Going into their January 17 game with Puget Sound, the Boxers held a record of eight wins and six losses. Then, a rough schedule led to the team dropping six straight conference games to leave them where they are now. But four out of six of those losses ended as single digit defeats. These losses include a two point loss to 16-4 Puget Sound and a four point loss to 14-6 Whitman.

   Another reason why the Boxers’ record this year might not reflective the actual level of performance is that the Boxers, on average, have shot better from the field than their opponents—and by a pretty wide margin. Pacific has shot 39.1% this season so far, while holding opponents to 36.9% shooting. And it isn’t like the Boxers aren’t taking any shots either. In fact, Pacific is averaging 1.6 more field goals per game than opponents this year.

   The Boxers started their season strong with wins against Lewis & Clark and Schreiner, before dropping a close one to Pomona-Pitzer. The team then hosted the Ken Schumann Classic, where senior Shaade Williams led the team in a rout of the University of Dallas, finishing with 19 points and eight rebounds. The team then gutted out a massive win in a double OT classic versus a very strong Colorado College team. Senior Ava Cook had a career high 21 points on 8-12 from the field, and all five starters finished the game in double figures.

   Three starters are graduating at the end of the season, and they’ve all put in career best seasons. Shaade Williams is leading the team in scoring with a career high 12.3 points per game. She’s also posting career best averages in rebounds this season, with 5.4 a game. Forward Ava Cook is also averaging career highs in assists, blocks, and steals this season. Guard Lindsay Barden rounds out the senior trio, and is averaging career high stats pretty much all across the board.

The seniors are joined by Sophomore Sydney Esperanza, and Freshman Karina Franco, who help finish out the starting five. Esperanza has racked up two double-doubles this season, and Franco is also having a great season, especially for a freshman, averaging 8.1 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. 

   As the season nears its end, the Boxers will try their hardest to bounce back and hopefully the Pacific community will get behind this team as they finish their season strong.

   The Boxers face Pacific Lutheran at home on February 14 for senior day, before ending the season at Willamette.