By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications

SALEM, Ore. -- The Willamette University women's basketball team has played a very challenging schedule through its first 10 games of the 2017-18 season. The Bearcats are 4-6 overall, but five of the six losses have been to teams that were ranked nationally through Willamette's most recent game on Dec. 21. All six teams that have defeated the Bearcats have winning records.

Christopher Newport University (Va.) held the highest ranking last week at #2 in the D3hoops.com Top 25 Poll. The D3hoops.com Top 25 also placed Thomas More College (Ky.) at #10 and Trinity University (Texas) at #19. George Fox University was ranked #23 in the NCAA Division III Poll released by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA). Northwest Christian University (Ore.) was listed at #24 in the NAIA Division II Poll.

Those five teams own a combined record of 40-7 (.851). Three of the teams have only one loss – Thomas More at 10-1, Christopher Newport at 9-1 and Northwest Christian at 9-1. And one of those losses was Christopher Newport falling in a head-to-head matchup to Thomas More at the Hoop N Surf Classic in Honolulu, Hawaii.

In addition, George Fox is 7-2 on the season, with Trinity at 5-2. One of Trinity's losses was against GFU during the Bruin Classic in Newberg, Oregon, on Nov. 18. Corban University is the only team to defeated Willamette that isn't in the Top 25 at its respective level of competition. Corban, which competes in NAIA Division II, is 7-5 overall.

Willamette fell to Corban by a slim 65-63 score on Dec. 8, and lost to George Fox, 79-76, about a week earlier on Dec. 2. The Bearcats fell to Trinity at the Bruin Classic and lost to both Thomas More and Christopher Newport at the Hoop N Surf Classic.

The Bearcats hope that their heavy early schedule will help them when Northwest Conference play resumes in January. So far, Willamette has played two NWC games, a 74-65 victory over Lewis & Clark College on Dec. 1 and the loss to GFU by three points one day later.

WU will play one more non-conference game on Saturday, Dec. 30, against Vancouver Island University at Cone Field House starting at 7 p.m. (PST). VIU is a member of the Pacific Western Athletic Association in Canada and also competes in Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association.

The Bearcats will return to NWC action on Wednesday, Jan. 3 with a game at Linfield College in McMinnville, Oregon. Game time is set for 6 p.m. (PST). Willamette will host NWC rival University of Puget Soundon Saturday, Jan. 6 at 4 p.m. The Loggers recently fell out of the WBCA Poll with a 5-4 record.