The College of Wooster women's basketball team's mission to get better every day resulted in one of the team's best seasons in a decade last year.

Head coach Olivia Besancon improved the team's record from five to 11 wins, reaching double digit victories for the first time in over a decade and improving the team's NCAC record as well.

Now in her third season at the helm, the goal won't change, but the goal posts move wider.

"We're excited to build off last year," Besancon said. "The biggest thing is just getting on the court and seeing where we're at. 

"We want to be a different team from the beginning to the end of the year. If we're not improving, we're not doing our jobs."

The Scots have shown they've learned to compete, and they've shown they can finish close games. Just look at last season's win over Wittenberg, which gave the team a unique four-game win streak and its first win over the Tigers since 2017.

It's fair to say the optimism is high across the board.

"You can see it when we take the court for practice," Besancon said. "There's a different level of intensity and excitement, enjoyment with the team.

"And just being able to head into the season, adding some new pieces and returning the bulk of the team, it gives them a sense of … we have a lot that we can accomplish this year."

A solid core returns, including seven of nine who played in at least 20 games last year.

Highlighted by junior Mackenzie Riccitelli, an All-NCAC Second Team selection, her 16.7 points per game led the team and put her tenth all-time in program history. One of her bigger games of the year was when she scored a career-high 31 points against DePauw.

Senior Ace Sturdivant is a proven all-around contributor, averaging 12.3 points, 3.8 assists, 5.1 rebounds and 3.0 steals per game. Sturdivant heads a five-person senior class which also includes Abby Henegar, Ellery Kloek, Kylie Parsons and Katelyn Barnes.
 
The addition of Henegar last year gave Wooster another viable scoring threat. She came off the bench in 24 games and averaged 7.4 points per game. She also was a threat from range, shooting a team-best 35 percent (with 30 or more attempts).

Another strong addition to the team was Pink Sturdivant. As a first-year, Sturdivant averaged 7.6 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.

Both Sturdivants bring versatility to the lineup with the ability to fill several different roles. 

"All of them provide something very valuable in different ways," Besancon said. "We're a guard heavy team – that's not going to surprise anyone – but that means the tempo is going to be quicker, we're going to be more aggressive and playing fast tempo."

With the Scots' depth, Besancon is not too worried about the team's size. They lost starting big Ella Biondi to graduation but return backup Hannah Stroebe, who was the only bench player to appear in all 25 contests as a first-year.

Emily Webb is another key piece after averaging 14.9 minutes off the bench, joining Riccitelli and Lynx Lander in the junior class. Graysen Redpath, Ayden Rodgers and Sav Weiss round out the sophomores, while four first-years round out the roster.

"Toughness will be a big thing we'll be talking a lot about," Besancon said. "We must rebound the basketball. There's a lot more than your height that goes into it. We must be aggressive, tough and put a body on people … those are all things that we can control."

The Scots open the season with three consecutive home games the week of Nov. 9, which includes the Nan Nichols Classic from Nov. 13-14. Besancon welcomes her alma mater, Muskingum University, to open the classic.

On the team's season opener on Nov. 10, Wooster welcomes Bluffton University, who Wooster defeated last year on the road, 68-66, thanks to a game winner with 1.2 seconds remaining from Riccitelli.

Wooster will get its first taste of NCAC play on Dec. 2 when they take on Ohio Wesleyan University (21-6), who ended the year ranked 18th with a trip to the second round of the NCAA Championships.

They'll return to conference play in January and will immediately see John Carroll University (26-5), ranked 10th to end the year, and defending national champion Denison University (30-2).

"They've developed that confidence that we can go against the top teams in our conference," Besancon added. "They have to beat us and show up. It won't be a walk in the park; they've got to earn it."