LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego women's basketball has released the non-conference schedule for the 2026-27 season, as announced by head coach
Heidi VanDerveer. The two-time defending Big West Champions will begin their season on the road at Washington on Nov. 2.
"We are very excited about our 2026-27 non-conference schedule," said VanDerveer. "We will be challenged by some of the best teams on the West Coast, and competing against quality programs from the Big Ten, WCC, and Big Sky will provide valuable preparation for the nightly battles of Big West play."
As previously announced, the Tritons will celebrate the opening week of the 26-27 season in San Diego at the National University Bill Walton Classic, facing the University of San Diego at Pechanga Arena on Nov. 7. The game is slated as a double-header with the San Diego State men's program taking on Colorado.
UC San Diego will then play seven of the next eight games in LionTree Arena, starting with the home opener against Portland State on Nov. 12. The Tritons will also host San Francisco (Nov. 15) and Whittier (Nov. 24) before wrapping up the month of November at Northern Arizona (Nov. 28) over the Thanksgiving weekend.
After hosting The Big West Bold Week on Dec. 3 and 5, the Tritons will return to non-conference action against Cal State San Marcos (Dec. 10) and Pacific (Dec. 14) in La Jolla.
The non-conference slate will conclude with a trip to the East Coast before the holiday break. The Tritons will participate in the FDU Holiday Classic in Hackensack, N.J. on Dec. 19-20. UC San Diego will face La Salle in a neutral matchup on the opening day, with Youngstown State and host FDU also participating in the weekend tournament.
"We are also excited to take our team on a trip east, where we will compete in the Fairleigh Dickinson Tournament," said VanDerveer. "Beyond the competition, this trip will provide our players with an opportunity to experience the sights and culture of New York City. Our team will attend a Broadway musical and visit the 9/11 Memorial, giving our scholar-athletes the chance to experience the arts, learn about our nation's history, and gain perspective beyond the basketball court."
"This schedule will challenge us competitively while also providing meaningful experiences that will help our team grow both on and off the court. We are looking forward to the journey and the opportunity to compete against some outstanding opponents."
The Tritons will play their final season as a member of The Big West, with the
previously announced conference schedule resuming on Dec. 31 at home against Cal State Fullerton. Last season, the Tritons went 24-9 overall and finished 17-3 in Big West play for a share of their first regular season conference title. Head coach
Heidi VanDerveer's squad went on to win the Big West Championship as the No. 2 Seed to become back-to-back tournament champions and punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive season. UC San Diego is just the second team in NCAA Division I women's basketball to make the tournament in its first two seasons of postseason eligibility after reclassifying from Division II.
UC San Diego will return six Tritons from the 2025-26 championship squad, including All-Big West honorees
Erin Condron (First Team),
Lev Feiman (All-Freshman),
Dymonique Maxie (Honorable Mention) and
Rosa Smith (Honorable Mention). The Tritons will also add seven talented newcomers, including transfers
Alexandra Cummins (San Jose State),
Jite Gbemuotor (CSUN) and
Coryn Watts (Denver).
UC San Diego basketball season tickets are available online by logging on to
UCSDTritons.com/tickets, by calling (858) 534-1430, or by visiting the Triton Box Office in the Price Center on the UC San Diego campus between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, e-mail the box office at
triton-tix@ucsd.edu.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program has begun a new era in NCAA Division I. The 24-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 39 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 90 percent, the highest rate among public institutions in NCAA Division I or II.
