University Heights, Ohio – The Wheaton Thunder women's basketball team opened its 2025-26 campaign on Friday night at John Carroll University's tipoff tournament. The Thunder faced Lebanon Valley College in the first-ever meeting between the two programs, with Wheaton earning a 59-47 victory. The Thunder advance in the tournament to face John Carroll University at 2:00 p.m. (EST) on Saturday afternoon in the tournament's championship game.

Kate Oliver led all players in the game tonight with 18 points as she shot 66.7% (8-for-12) from the field. The Thunder senior led Wheaton with eight rebounds in the game. Freshman Chloe Kostka scored 15 points with six rebounds in her collegiate debut. Kostka made five three-pointers in the first half tonight. Lily Caddow scored 10 points for the Thunder, and she grabbed four steals. Jenna Hunter scored six points and Lydia Brogan added five. Alyssa Faberowski distributed a game-high five assists and Petra Trumbach added three steals.

Brielle Reidinger led LVC with 12 points and Kailey Eckhart added 10 points.  

Reidinger scored the first basket of the game, just 33 seconds into the game. It was the only lead LVC had tonight. Hunter and Caddow had baskets on back-to-back Thunder possessions to give Wheaton a 4-2 lead. The score was tied 4-4 with 7:20 left in the first quarter when Kostka made her first collegiate basket, a three-pointer that gave Wheaton a 7-4 lead. Kostka's basket started a 14-2 Thunder run that allowed Wheaton to build up an 18-6 lead with 2:55 remaining in the first quarter. Wheaton also scored the final seven points of the quarter to lead 25-9 at the end of the opening quarter. The 16-point lead at the end of the period was the largest Thunder lead of the quarter.
Kostka scored nine points on 3-for-3 shooting from three-point range in five-plus minutes of action in the quarter.

Wheaton out-scored LVC 14-8 in the second quarter, building up a 25-point lead at one point as the Thunder led 39-14 with 3:20 left in the quarter. Wheaton held a 39-17 lead at halftime. Kostka made two more three-pointers in the second quarter as she had a team-high six points in the period. The freshman scored all 15 of her points for the game in the first half.

Wheaton maintained its double-digit lead throughout the second half. Oliver led Wheaton's second-half scoring with nine points and Caddow added five points.

Wheaton shot 43.6% (24-of-55) from the field tonight, including 42.9% (9-for-21) behind the three-point arc. Lebanon Valley posted a 38.5% (20-for-52) field goal percentage, including 16.7% (2-for-12) from three-point range. LVC out-rebounded the Thunder 32-26, including a 10-7 advantage on the offensive glass.