Monday, November 2
New York, NY
11 am
Davidson College Athletics
at
Columbia
Photo by: Joe Lehrman/Davidson Athletics
11/1/2026 10:08:00 AM | Women's Basketball
DAVIDSON, N.C. – The Davidson College women's basketball team tips off its 2026–27 season on the road Monday, Nov. 2, facing Columbia at 11 a.m. The Wildcats enter the campaign coming off a historic 21-win season and were picked to finish second in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll.
GAME 1 DETAILS
Opponent: Columbia
Date / Location: Monday, Nov. 2 (11 a.m. ET) / Levien Gymnasium / New York City, New York
Watch: ESPN+
2025-26 Season Recap
The Davidson College women's basketball team completed a historic 2025–26 campaign under ninth-year head coach Gayle Fulks, compiling a 21–12 overall record and a 12–6 mark in Atlantic 10 play. The 20-win threshold marked the first time Davidson reached 20 victories as a member of the Atlantic 10 and just the fourth 20-win season in program history.
The Wildcats earned a double bye in the A-10 Tournament for the second consecutive year, advancing to the A-10 Tournament semifinals in Henrico, Va. Davidson was led by senior guard Charlise Dunn, who earned First-Team All-Atlantic 10 honors while averaging 15.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and junior guard Katie Donovan, who garnered Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 accolades.
Defensively, the 'Cats maintained elite national standards, holding opponents to 58.1 points per game and posting an 11–0 record when restricting foes to 55 points or fewer. Non-conference highlights included a 77–51 road win at Florida Gulf Coast, an 87–65 victory over Ball State, and competitive showdowns against power-conference foes Miami, Baylor, and NC State.
BRING ON THE NON-CONFERENCE...
Davidson's 2026–27 non-conference schedule features a challenging 13-game slate. The 'Cats open the regular season on Nov. 2 at reigning WBIT champion Columbia before hosting ACC opponent Virginia on Nov. 5. Over Thanksgiving week, Davidson travels to the Bahamas for the multi-team Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 24–26) alongside Notre Dame and Florida. The December home schedule includes SEC powers Vanderbilt (Dec. 9) and Mississippi State (Dec. 20).
KATIE CLOCKWORK...
Katie Donovan earned her first All-Conference postseason award after having a career year shooting the three. The junior from Queensland, Australia, Donovan averaged 12.2 points per game while finishing among the national leaders in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 45.8% from beyond the arc. She enters her senior year as Davidson's primary scoring option and perimeter catalyst.
The second leading scorer on the team, Donovan was the league's best 3-point shooter and ended the season third in the nation in 3-point percentage. Her season was highlighted by a career-high 28 points against Ball State where she went 10-of-16 from the floor and 7-of-8 from deep, leading the Wildcats to a program-best shooting night where they hit 17 threes. She recorded 18 double-figure scoring nights and four 20-point games.
MILESTONE WATCH...
Head coach Gayle Fulks enters her 10th season at Davidson with 144 career victories. Sitting just one win shy of surpassing Annette Watts (144), Fulks is positioned to become the winningest head coach in Davidson women's basketball history early in the 2026–27 season.
EUROBASKET STARS...
Multiple Wildcats gained international experience over the summer at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket. Guard Kyra Bruyndoncx led Belgium to the semifinals while pacing her national team with 13.4 points per game. Forward Ines Garcia also impressed in EuroBasket action, averaging 0.9 blocks per game for a Spanish squad that reached the semifinal round.
ROSTER REINFORCMENTS...
Davidson added three new pieces to round out its roster: sophomore forward Georgia Ferguson (transfer from Evansville), and international freshmen Lilli Onnela and Sveva Bernasconi. Ferguson appeared in 35 games as a freshman for an Evansville team that reached the Missouri Valley Conference championship game. Sophomore forward Sharni Reisinger, a midseason enrollee from Brisbane, Australia, is officially set to make her debut in 2026–27.
SCOUTING COLUMBIA
Under head coach Megan Griffith, Columbia has established itself as one of the nation's premier mid-major programs, posting five consecutive 20-win seasons, securing two NCAA Tournament berths, and capturing last season's WBIT championship. The Lions are fueled by guard Riley Weiss, an AP All-America honorable mention who averaged 20.1 points on 43.2 percent shooting while starting all 33 games last year.
GAME 1 DETAILS
Opponent: Columbia
Date / Location: Monday, Nov. 2 (11 a.m. ET) / Levien Gymnasium / New York City, New York
Watch: ESPN+
2025-26 Season Recap
The Davidson College women's basketball team completed a historic 2025–26 campaign under ninth-year head coach Gayle Fulks, compiling a 21–12 overall record and a 12–6 mark in Atlantic 10 play. The 20-win threshold marked the first time Davidson reached 20 victories as a member of the Atlantic 10 and just the fourth 20-win season in program history.
The Wildcats earned a double bye in the A-10 Tournament for the second consecutive year, advancing to the A-10 Tournament semifinals in Henrico, Va. Davidson was led by senior guard Charlise Dunn, who earned First-Team All-Atlantic 10 honors while averaging 15.4 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, and junior guard Katie Donovan, who garnered Second-Team All-Atlantic 10 accolades.
Defensively, the 'Cats maintained elite national standards, holding opponents to 58.1 points per game and posting an 11–0 record when restricting foes to 55 points or fewer. Non-conference highlights included a 77–51 road win at Florida Gulf Coast, an 87–65 victory over Ball State, and competitive showdowns against power-conference foes Miami, Baylor, and NC State.
BRING ON THE NON-CONFERENCE...
Davidson's 2026–27 non-conference schedule features a challenging 13-game slate. The 'Cats open the regular season on Nov. 2 at reigning WBIT champion Columbia before hosting ACC opponent Virginia on Nov. 5. Over Thanksgiving week, Davidson travels to the Bahamas for the multi-team Battle 4 Atlantis (Nov. 24–26) alongside Notre Dame and Florida. The December home schedule includes SEC powers Vanderbilt (Dec. 9) and Mississippi State (Dec. 20).
KATIE CLOCKWORK...
Katie Donovan earned her first All-Conference postseason award after having a career year shooting the three. The junior from Queensland, Australia, Donovan averaged 12.2 points per game while finishing among the national leaders in 3-point field goal percentage, shooting 45.8% from beyond the arc. She enters her senior year as Davidson's primary scoring option and perimeter catalyst.
The second leading scorer on the team, Donovan was the league's best 3-point shooter and ended the season third in the nation in 3-point percentage. Her season was highlighted by a career-high 28 points against Ball State where she went 10-of-16 from the floor and 7-of-8 from deep, leading the Wildcats to a program-best shooting night where they hit 17 threes. She recorded 18 double-figure scoring nights and four 20-point games.
MILESTONE WATCH...
Head coach Gayle Fulks enters her 10th season at Davidson with 144 career victories. Sitting just one win shy of surpassing Annette Watts (144), Fulks is positioned to become the winningest head coach in Davidson women's basketball history early in the 2026–27 season.
EUROBASKET STARS...
Multiple Wildcats gained international experience over the summer at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket. Guard Kyra Bruyndoncx led Belgium to the semifinals while pacing her national team with 13.4 points per game. Forward Ines Garcia also impressed in EuroBasket action, averaging 0.9 blocks per game for a Spanish squad that reached the semifinal round.
ROSTER REINFORCMENTS...
Davidson added three new pieces to round out its roster: sophomore forward Georgia Ferguson (transfer from Evansville), and international freshmen Lilli Onnela and Sveva Bernasconi. Ferguson appeared in 35 games as a freshman for an Evansville team that reached the Missouri Valley Conference championship game. Sophomore forward Sharni Reisinger, a midseason enrollee from Brisbane, Australia, is officially set to make her debut in 2026–27.
SCOUTING COLUMBIA
Under head coach Megan Griffith, Columbia has established itself as one of the nation's premier mid-major programs, posting five consecutive 20-win seasons, securing two NCAA Tournament berths, and capturing last season's WBIT championship. The Lions are fueled by guard Riley Weiss, an AP All-America honorable mention who averaged 20.1 points on 43.2 percent shooting while starting all 33 games last year.
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