The 2025-26 season for Weber State University’s women’s basketball team began in Fort Collins, Colorado, against Colorado State University.
One of the Wildcats’ top returning players, Antoneitte Emma-Nnopu, started her season on the right foot. She went 10-for-17 from the field, 1-for-5 from 3-point, doubling the next leading scorer with 22 points with 11 rebounds, despite being fifth in minutes played.
Weber’s other top returner, Lanae Billy, was the only other player who finished with double-digit points, with 11. Billy, despite being the nation’s third returning player in 3-point percentage, struggled from the long distance, going one for six.
The Wildcats’ scoring struggles started from the onset as the Rams outscored them 23–13, followed by being outscored in two of the remaining three quarters.
As a team, Weber shot 36.7% from the field, 14.8% from three and 83.3% from the free throw line. The scoring struggles led to a 75–58 loss to the Mountain West team.
Weber State’s home slate tipped off with a matchup against Westminster University on Nov. 8.
This matchup was extra special for Wildcats Head Coach Jenteal Jackson, who had played two seasons and coached 11, nine as an assistant and two as head coach, for the Griffins.
“It’s strange because there’s really only one kid left that I had there, so it’s a whole new look, whole different group,” Jackson said. “Fun to bring (Westminster) up here and just play against them. It was a fun feeling for sure.”
The fun started immediately for the Wildcats, who took a 3–0 lead off of a free throw and a layup by Hannah Robbins, both coming off Emma-Nnopu’s offensive rebounds.
The Griffins tied it on a 3-pointer, but that is the closest the game would be.
The Wildcats held an 18–10 lead after the first quarter and increased the defensive pressure in the second. They forced seven turnovers, scoring 11 points off of them and outscored their opponent 24–8, helping them to a 42–18 halftime lead.
“That was really big because in our practices, the emphasis is defense,” Emma-Nnopu said. “Our goal today was to get seven kills, and we got 11. So, just locking in and honing on that because that’s what we needed to improve from last game.”
The second half went nearly identical to the first as the Wildcats scored 18 in the third and 24 in the fourth, as they rolled to an 84–47 win.
The Wildcats had four players finish with double-digit points and two with nine points. Nicole Willardson and Robbins led with 18 and 16 points, respectively.
“It’s just a huge help knowing that multiple people are getting it done,” Jackson said. “Versatility is something that we focus on recruiting and bringing in in the offseason. I feel like we’ve done that to where we can have more scoring threats, which is ultimately just going to help us on the offensive side of the ball.”
From a defensive perspective, Weber held Westminster to 27.7% from the field, but they are still far from satisfied.
“We’re focusing a lot on the defensive side of the ball,” Jackson said. “I thought we did a better job in some areas tonight, but other things we’ll definitely break down on film.”
