Rocky Mount, NC - The North Carolina Wesleyan women's basketball team battled tough through four quarters in its 2025–26 home opener but came up just short, falling 70–64 to Mary Washington on Wednesday evening inside Everett Gymnasium.

The Battling Bishops (0–1) came out hot, shooting 64% in the opening period to take a 21–13 lead after one quarter. However, the visiting Eagles (1–2) clawed their way back, using an 8–0 run late in the second quarter to close the gap to 30–29 by halftime.

Mary Washington carried that momentum into the second half, outscoring Wesleyan 21–17 in the third quarter and 20–17 in the fourth to pull away late. The Eagles hit 8-of-20 from beyond the arc and went 20-for-28 from the free-throw line to seal the win.

Anaya Hall led the Bishops with sixteen points on 8-of-13 shooting and added six rebounds. Kieara Hughes filled the stat sheet with ten points, six assists, two steals, and two rebounds, while Harmony Martin chipped in eight points and four boards. Dorinda Jordan added seven points and a team-high nine rebounds, and Ansley Griffin and Alexia White each contributed seven and five points, respectively, off the bench.

The Bishops forced 25 Mary Washington turnovers and converted them into 26 points while scoring 30 points in the paint and fifteen on the fast break. Wesleyan also held a 38–34 edge in total rebounds, but cold stretches from three-point range (5-for-22) and the free-throw line (9-for-17) proved costly down the stretch.

Jenna Steadman paced Mary Washington with seventeen points, while Rileigh Weaver added twelve and Maddy Jenisch scored thirteen, including three key triples.