KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- The Western Michigan University women's basketball team tips off on the 2026-27 season on Monday morning against Coastal Carolina as part of the MAC-SBC Challenge.

LET THE NEW SEASON BEGIN
Western Michigan began its 59th season of women's basketball on Monday, Nov. 2 at home with its first game of the MAC-SBC Challenge. The Broncos will host the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for a mid-morning tip off at 11 a.m. for a Class at the Court game.

WMU will play a total of 30 regular season games after hosting Adrian College in an exhibition game in October. Of those 30 games, the Brown and Gold will be in University Arena for almost half with 14 home contests. Western Michigan will play an even 14 games on the road. The Broncos will also have two neutral site opportunities as part of the Viking Invite, hosted by Cleveland State the week of Thanksgiving.

BASKETBALL AND EDUCATION!
After a year off, WMU is back to hosting its annual Class at The Court game in 2026. The Brown and Gold open the new season with an 11 a.m. contest against Coastal Carolina on the first Monday of November.

The early tip-off time allows local elementary and middle school students to attend a basketball game while also getting a unique educational experience. The game will feature in-game promotions and recognitions tailored to the schools attending with additional interactive activities.  

TAKING IT BACK TO MARCH
The Broncos finished the 2025-26 season a 9-20 overall record and a Mid-American Conference Record of 5-13 in Head Coach Kate Achter's first season at the helm. Of the three programs Achter has been at the helm for, WMU's 9-20 record is her best overall first season win and loss total. 

The Brown and Gold won a majority of their victories at home inside University Arena with five in front of their home crowd. Western Michigan also added four wins on the road at Milwaukee, Loyola Chicago, Eastern Michigan, and Buffalo. While the Broncos ended the season under .500, nine of their losses were within a 10 point margin and three were within five points, showing the competitive nature of WMU's 2025-26 squad.

WELCOME BACK!
Western Michigan returns five players from it's 2025-26 squad for the upcoming season. The Broncos welcome back guards Alli Carlson, Alli Harness, Kailey Starks, and Nile Muguira Orbe, and forward Morasha Wiggins. Carlson, Harness, Muguira, and Starks are the only four who saw action on the floor last season as Wiggins was sidelined by an ACL injury in 2025-26. 

WMU's four returners accounted for 61% of the team's scoring last season. Starks was the Brown and Gold's scoring leader in 25-26 with 373 points in 29 games to average 12.9 points in 30.6 minutes. Carlson was right behind Starks in scoring as she averaged 10.2 points a game for 286 on the season while also leading the team in assists with 123 helpers. Harness was one of Western Michigan's most consistent three point scorers at 31.1% last year. Harness and Muguira led the Broncos at the line with 89.7% and 77.8% free throw shooting among WMU's regular contributors on the floor.

ROSTER REFRESH
The Brown and Gold add nine new faces to their 2026-27 roster going into the first game of the season. Western Michigan brings in one of its larger true freshmen class with five players competing in their first collegiate season. The Broncos last rostered five true freshman in the 2021-22 season. WMU also adds four players from the transfer portal, three of which have previous Division I experience. 

IN THE 98th PERCENTILE
The Brown and Gold roster this season is in a unique situation among the 362 Division I women's basketball programs across the country. Western Michigan is one of just three Division I rosters with no sophomore or second year players among its ranks. As one of eight programs without sophomores, the Broncos fall into one of the smallest roster categories nationally as the programs make up only 2% of Division I rosters. The seven other programs this season that do not have second year players include: Campbell, Florida Gulf Coast, Indiana State, Norfolk State, Oregon, San Diego State, and Southern Illinois.

This season is the first time in the NCAA era of WMU women's basketball that the roster does not include a sophomore. But the Brown and Gold have had multiple teams with only a single sophomore. The 2014-15, 1994-95, 1990-91, 1986-87, and 1983-84 teams had a lone sophomore play. 

SERIES HISTORY
Monday morning's game will be the first ever meeting between Western Michigan and Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers become the seventh active Sun Belt Conference program that the Broncos will face. WMU has a 19-16 overall record against current SBC schools and is an even 3-3 in the MAC-SBC Challenge.

Coastal Carolina has played five other Mid-American Conference institutions prior to November's game in Kalamazoo. The Chanticleers have a 3-2 record against MAC teams. CCU played three institutions prior to the inaugural MAC-SBC Challenge in 2023-24 (Akron, Bowling Green, Central Michigan). 

SCOUTING THE CHANTICLEERS
Coastal Carolina finished the 2025-26 season with a 14-18 overall record and a 7-11 record in the Sun Belt. CCU made the Sun Belt Conference Tournament but lost in its first round matchup against South Alabama 80-70. 

The Chanticleers return five players from last season's 12 player lineup. Coastal Carolina's returners accounted for 40% of its 2025-26 scoring, including leading scorer Tessa Grady. The redshirt junior forward averaged 13.6 points, 2.9 rebounds, 1.25 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.9 blocks a game in 25-26 while starting all 30 games for CCU.