2025–26 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team

2025–26 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record8–23 (1–17 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Candice Finley (3rd season)
  • Anthony Brammer (3rd season)
  • Devan Newman (2nd season)
  • Abby Anderson (1st season)
Home arenaPetersen Events Center
2025–26 ACC women's basketball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 8 Duke † 16 – 2   .889 25 – 8   .758
No. 13 Louisville 15 – 3   .833 27 – 7   .794
No. 15 North Carolina 14 – 4   .778 27 – 7   .794
NC State 13 – 5   .722 21 – 10   .677
No. 22 Notre Dame 12 – 6   .667 22 – 10   .688
Virginia Tech 12 – 6   .667 23 – 10   .697
Syracuse 12 – 6   .667 23 – 8   .742
Virginia 11 – 7   .611 20 – 11   .645
Clemson 11 – 7   .611 21 – 11   .656
California 9 – 9   .500 20 – 14   .588
Georgia Tech 8 – 10   .444 14 – 19   .424
Miami (FL) 8 – 10   .444 18 – 14   .563
Stanford 8 – 10   .444 20 – 13   .606
Florida State 5 – 13   .278 10 – 21   .323
Wake Forest 4 – 14   .222 14 – 18   .438
SMU 2 – 16   .111 9 – 21   .300
Pittsburgh 1 – 17   .056 8 – 23   .258
Boston College 1 – 17   .056 5 – 26   .161
† 2026 ACC tournament winner
As of March 20, 2026
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2025–26 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team represented The University of Pittsburgh during the 2025–26 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. The Panthers were led by third-year head coach Tory Verdi, and played their home games at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC).

The Panthers began their season with an eight-point loss to Drexel. The Panthers rebounded by winning four of their next six games, with the losses coming at home to Scranton and Lafayette. Pittsburgh then traveled to Fort Myers, Florida to participate in the Florida Gulf Coast Classic. They lost to Ball State and defeated Chicago State in the tournament. They continued to hover around .500 but lost their ACC–SEC Challenge game against Mississippi State and their ACC opener against Clemson. They finished 2025 with a loss against eighteenth-ranked Notre Dame. A loss to Wake Forest and a victory over Boston College left the team at 8–9. The three-point victory over Boston College would prove to be the team's last of the season. The Panthers lost the next fourteen straight games. They played three ranked teams over this stretch: tenth-ranked Louisville, twenty-first ranked Duke and twenty-second ranked North Carolina. The closest losses over the stretch were a four-point loss at home to Florida State and a pair of seven-point losses to SMU.

The Panthers finished the season 8–23 overall and 1–17 in ACC play to finish in a tie for seventeenth place. They did not qualify for the ACC tournament. They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the WBIT. On March 3, Verdi was fired as head coach.[1]

Previous season

Main article: 2024–25 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team

The Panthers finished the season 13–19 overall and 5–13 in ACC play to finish in fifteenth place. As the fifteenth seed in the ACC tournament, they lost their first-round matchup with tenth-seeded Virginia.[2] They were not invited to the NCAA tournament or the WBIT.

Off-season

Departures

Departures
Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Reason for departure
Brooklyn Miles 0 G 5'5" Senior Frankfort, Kentucky Graduated
Aaryn Battle 1 G 5'10" Sophomore Sewell, New Jersey Transferred to Hampton[3]
MaKayla Elmore 3 F 6'3" Senior Fostoria, Ohio Graduated
Kiara Williams 5 F 6'0" Freshman Palm Bay, Florida Transferred to La Salle[4]
Bella Perkins 10 G 5'9" Senior Chantilly, Virginia Graduated
Marley Washenitz 11 G 5'7" Junior Fairmont, West Virginia Transferred to Arizona State[5]
Raeven Boswell 14 G 5'11" Junior Austin, Texas —
Khadija Faye 15 C 6'4" Graduate Student Dakar, Senegal Graudated
Aislin Malcolm 20 G 5'10" Junior Carnegie, Pennsylvania Transferred to Robert Morris[6]

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Year Hometown Previous school
Carla Viegas 8 G 5'9" Junior Málaga, Spain Florida State[7]
Angel Jones 11 G 5'4" Senior Woodbridge, Virginia Coppin State[8]
Fatima Diakhate 21 F 6'5" Junior Dakar, Senegal Georgia[9]

Recruiting class

Source:[10]

College recruiting information
Name Hometown School Height Weight Commit date
Macie Arzner
G 		McMinnville, Oregon McMinnville 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NR)
Theresa Hagans Jr.
G 		Utica, New York Bishop Ireton 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (91)
Megan Hollingsworth
G 		Ottawa, Canada Acapital Courts Academy 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NR)
Angela Le Faou
F 		Bordeaux, France Tony Parker Adequat Academy 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NR)
Divine Tumba Tshibuabua
F 		Longueuil, Canada Royal Crown Academy 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NR)
Jayda Queeley
G 		Edmonton, Canada Royal Crown Academy 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (NR)
Nylah Wilson
G 		Chester, Virginia IMG Academy 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) N/A  
Recruit ratings: ESPN:    (96)
Overall recruit ranking:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

Roster

2025–26 Pittsburgh Panthers women's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Year Previous school Hometown
F 0 Divine Tumba Tshibabua 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) Fr Royal Crown Academy Longueuil, Canada
G 1 Theresa Hagans 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Fr Bishop Ireton Utica, NY
G 2 Amiya Jenkins 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) RS Jr Anderson County
Kentucky 		Lexington, KY
G 3 Nylah Wilson 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Fr IMG Academy Chester, VA
G 5 Jayda Queeley 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) Fr Royal Crown Academy Edmonton, Canada
G 8 Carla Viegas 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Jr CAB Estepona
Florida State 		Málaga, Spain
F 10 Anglea Le Faou 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) Fr Tony Parker Adequat Academy Bordeaux, France
G 11 Angel Jones 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m) Sr Forest Park
Coppin State 		Woodbridge, VA
F 13 Lauren Rust 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) RS So The Webb School Victoria, Canada
G 15 Megan Hollingsworth 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) Fr Capital Courts Academy Ottawa, Canada
C 21 Fatima Diakhate 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) RS Jr Montverde Academy
Georgia 		Dakar, Senegal
G 22 Audrey Biggs 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) So Boyd County Catlettsburg, KY
G 23 Mikayla Johnson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) RS Jr Bartlett
Colorado 		Anchorage, AK
G 44 Macie Arzner 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) Fr McMinnville McMinnville, OR
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster
Last update: October 7, 2025

Schedule

Source:[11]

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Exhibition
October 26, 2025*
1:00 p.m. 		Pitt–Johnstown W 101–46  –
  17 – Viegas   9 – Hollingsworth   4 – Wilson  Petersen Events Center 
Pittsburgh, PA
October 30, 2025*
6:00 p.m. 		Lock Haven W 98–58  –
  23 – Jones   15 – Johnson   5 – Queeley  Petersen Events Center 
Pittsburgh, PA
Regular season
November 4, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Drexel L 60–68  0–1
  19 – Johnson   8 – Diakhate   3 – Queeley  Petersen Events Center (638)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 8, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Mount St. Mary's W 66–52  1–1
  14 – Diakhate   11 – Diakhate   8 – Queeley  Petersen Events Center (708)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 11, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Cornell W 56–54  2–1
  20 – Diakhate   12 – Diakhate   3 – Tied  Petersen Events Center (627)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 16, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Scranton L 63–69  2–2
  17 – Diakhate   13 – Rust   5 – Queeley  Petersen Events Center (638)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 18, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Le Moyne W 87–65  3–2
  17 – Hagans Jr.   10 – Diakhate   8 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (592)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 22, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Robert Morris W 63–54  4–2
  20 – Johnson   11 – Rust   6 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (839)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 25, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Lafayette L 59–76  4–3
  16 – Hagans Jr.   9 – Diakhate   6 – Jones  Petersen Events Center (529)
Pittsburgh, PA
November 28, 2025*
1:15 p.m., AWSN 		vs. Ball State
Florida Gulf Coast Classic 		L 41–55  4–4
  11 – Jenkins   13 – Rust   1 – Tied  Alico Arena (300)
Fort Myers, FL
November 29, 2025*
11:00 a.m., AWSN 		vs. Chicago State
Florida Gulf Coast Classic 		W 67–53  5–4
  17 – Johnson   14 – Diakhate   3 – Hagans Jr.  Alico Arena (137)
Fort Myers, FL
December 1, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Central Connecticut W 68–43  6–4
  17 – Tied   8 – Diakhate   5 – Tied  Petersen Events Center (552)
Pittsburgh, PA
December 4, 2025*
7:00 p.m., SECN 		at Mississippi State
ACC–SEC Challenge 		L 44–79  6–5
  15 – Viegas   5 – Johnson   2 – Tied  Humphrey Coliseum (3,433)
Starkville, MS
December 14, 2026
2:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at Clemson L 41–73  6–6
(0–1) 		 23 – Hagans Jr.   6 – Hollingsworth   2 – Tied  Littlejohn Coliseum (1,060)
Clemson, SC
December 18, 2025*
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Saint Francis W 98–46  7–6
  14 – Tied   11 – Diakhate   4 – Queeley  Petersen Events Center (541)
Pittsburgh, PA
December 21, 2025*
1:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Duquesne L 69–84  7–7
  23 – Johnson   8 – Rust   4 – Hagans Jr.  UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,221)
Pittsburgh, PA
December 29, 2025
7:00 p.m., ACCN 		at No. 18 Notre Dame L 59–94  7–8
(0–2) 		 22 – Johnson   16 – Diakhate   5 – Hagans Jr.  Purcell Pavilion (7,879)
Notre Dame, IN
January 1, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Wake Forest L 55–74  7–9
(0–3) 		 17 – Rust   11 – Diakhate   8 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (721)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 4, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCN 		at Boston College W 64–61  8–9
(1–3) 		 24 – Hagans Jr.   15 – Rust   5 – Hagans Jr.  Conte Forum (623)
Chestnut Hill, MA
January 11, 2026
2:00 p.m., The CW 		at No. 10 Louisville L 46–86  8–10
(1–4) 		 14 – Hagans Jr.   8 – Rust   2 – Tied  KFC Yum! Center (8,220)
Louisville, KY
January 15, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Florida State L 65–69  8–11
(1–5) 		 19 – Johnson   16 – Diakhate   3 – Tied  Petersen Events Center (743)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 18, 2026
1:00 p.m., ACCNX 		SMU L 76–83  8–12
(1–6) 		 20 – Johnson   15 – Diakhate   5 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (746)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 22, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at Virginia L 46–84  8–13
(1–7) 		 13 – Hagans Jr.   7 – Tied   5 – Hagans Jr.  John Paul Jones Arena (3,755)
Charlottesville, VA
January 24, 2026
4:00 p.m., ACCNX 		No. 21 Duke L 41–95  8–14
(1–8) 		 15 – Johnson   6 – Diakhate   1 – Tied  Petersen Events Center (1,233)
Pittsburgh, PA
January 29, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at Virginia Tech L 50–67  8–15
(1–9) 		 21 – Johnson   9 – Diakhate   4 – Tied  Cassell Coliseum (4,051)
Blacksburg, VA
February 5, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Stanford L 65–86  8–16
(1–10) 		 21 – Hagans Jr.   6 – Tied   4 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (571)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 8, 2026
1:00 p.m., ACCNX 		California L 80–95  8–17
(1–11) 		 19 – Hagans Jr.   9 – Diakhate   5 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (1,113)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 12, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Syracuse L 51–84  8–18
(1–12) 		 13 – Hagans Jr.   8 – Johnson   5 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (722)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 15, 2026
12:00 p.m., ACCN 		at SMU L 76–83  8–19
(1–13) 		 33 – Hagans Jr.   10 – Johnson   6 – Hagans Jr.  Moody Coliseum (1,331)
University Park, TX
February 19, 2026
6:00 p.m., ACCNX 		Georgia Tech L 68–84  8–20
(1–14) 		 19 – Hagans Jr.   14 – Diakhate   5 – Hagans Jr.  Petersen Events Center (658)
Pittsburgh, PA
February 22, 2026
12:00 p.m., ACCN 		at No. 22 North Carolina L 50–78  8–21
(1–15) 		 19 – Hagans Jr.   8 – Hagans Jr.   4 – Queeley  Carmichael Arena (5,246)
Chapel Hill, NC
February 26, 2026
7:00 p.m., ACCNX 		at Miami (FL) L 58–79  8–22
(1–16) 		 27 – Viegas   14 – Diakhate   4 – Queeley  Watsco Center (839)
Coral Gables, FL
March 1, 2026
2:00 p.m., ACCN 		NC State L 43–93  8–23
(1–17) 		 9 – Tied   13 – Diakhate   3 – Tied  Petersen Events Center (1,369)
Pittsburgh, PA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern.

References

  1. ^ Pitt Athletics Announces Leadership Change for Women’s Basketball Program
  2. ^ "Panthers Conclude 2024-25 Campaign; Fall to Virginia in First Round of 2025 Ally ACC Women's Basketball Tournament". Pitt Panthers. March 5, 2025. Retrieved May 1, 2025.
  3. ^ "Women's Basketball Announces Signing Of Aaryn Battle". hamptonpirates.com. Hampton University. April 9, 2025. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  4. ^ @Raoul_000 (May 29, 2025). "La Salle WBB has announced the signing of Pitt transfer Kiara Williams (6-0 FR forward, Palm Bay, FL)" (Tweet) – via X (formerly Twitter).
  5. ^ Campbell, Dominic (April 17, 2025). "Pitt WBB Guard Lands at Arizona State". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  6. ^ Campbell, Dominic (February 15, 2025). "Pitt Women's Basketball Guard Transfers to RMU". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  7. ^ Rose, Bob (May 2, 2025). "Pittsburgh Panthers Basketball Lands Two Major Backcourt Transfers". Yahoo Sports. Athlon Sports. Retrieved September 24, 2025.
  8. ^ Campbell, Dominic (April 28, 2025). "Pitt Women's Basketball Lands All-MEAC Transfer Guard". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  9. ^ Campbell, Dominic (April 5, 2025). "Pitt Women's Basketball Adds Georgia Transfer". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  10. ^ "Pittsburgh Panthers". ESPN. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
  11. ^ "2025-26 Women's Basketball Schedule". University of Pittsburgh Athletics. Retrieved October 7, 2025.
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