Looking Back at the 2025-26 Women's Basketball Season

CARLINVILLE, IL – Blackburn College Athletics continues looking at the 2025-26 season by looking at the 2025-26 women's basketball season.

The 2025-26 women's basketball season saw great growth with the team posting their most wins since the 2013-14 season and put themselves in program history for points, points per game, steals, and three-pointers made in a season. Nationally, the team finished 10^th in the country for free attempts as well.

The team was led by junior Eizaenirys Allende Quinones who was selected to the All-St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Third Team. She finished the year averaging 15.4 points per game which placed her fourth in the league for scoring. She scored 24 points in two games and reached 20 points in four games. Quinones was fourth in the league shooting 47.4% from the field. She also averaged 2.6 steals per game to finish sixth in the conference, with a career-high of eight against Dominican University.

The Beavers featured a three-person attack as juniors India Harris and Kenadee Frey also averaged double figures as Harris scored 11.7 points and Frey added 11.3 points. Harris finished second in the SLIAC by shooting over 49% from the field during conference play. Frey finished fourth by shooting 78% from the free throw line  and ranked in points, steals, and assists.

Freshman Elexus Frey led the team with 31 three-pointers made while freshman Vickie McGee made 25. Senior Gabriela Solis added 21 with K. Frey posting 18 and freshman Abby Borders hitting 17.

Solis finished with a team-best 70 turnovers and added 48 steals, just five behind Quinones team high of 53. Senior Zoe Mitchell paced the team in blocked shots.

Blackburn picked up their first win of the season with a 91-77 victory over Eureka College. The win also marked their first conference win since the 2022-23 season. Junior Cheresse Mitchell led the way with 21 points while Quinones added 19 points and four steals.

The team then went to Hawaii to compete in the Big Island Classic and came away with a 73-65 victory over Hilbert College that saw six players reach double figures.

After break, the team returned to host Eureka and saw Mitchell and K. Frey both achieve a double-double as Mitchell led the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds. K. Frey added 15 points with 10 rebounds. Senior Becca Benoit chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds.

Blackburn dropped their next three games, including one in overtime, before taking an 82-70 upset victory over conference leading Westminster College, their first win over the Blue Jays in 12 years. Quinones finished with 20 points and 11 rebounds. K. Frey added 15 points and Harris had 12. McGee chipped in with 10 points. Solis and Quinones also had team highs of four assists and four steals.

The Beavers picked up another conference win in thrilling fashion at Mississippi University for Women. Quinones and Benoit both had double-doubles. Quinones finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds, and added four steals. While Benoit posted 10 points and 10 rebounds, with seven offensive rebounds. Blackburn was down 12 points with 2:32 to go in the game and finished on a 17-3 run run to win 76-74.

On Senior Day, the season came to a close with an 87-33 victory over Maranatha Baptist University where four players reached double figures and 10 players scored at least three points.

In addition to their six wins, which is the most since the 2013-14 season and tied for the most since 2010, the Beavers went to overtime twice and lost by five or fewer points four times.

The 2025 season saw the team finish with the sixth most points scored and third most points per game in school history and most since the 1997-98 season, and fourth in school history for steals and made threes in a season.