COMING UP: at Raider Classic (Ashland, Ore.) – Thursday vs. Simpson, 4:30 p.m.; Friday vs. The Master's, 4:30 p.m.
GAME DAY INFORMATION: Thursday's season opener (and possibly Friday's game) will be carried live on 104.3-FM and 960-AM, the Home of the Lady Owls. Mike Garrard will have the
Joy Lease Coaches' Show 30-minutes prior to tip-off – simulcast online with audio through
MyBasin.com. Live Stats will be available through the
OIT SIDEARM Stats Portal, with a live video steam available through the
Urban Edge Network.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – SIMPSON: The 2025-26 season opens on Thursday in the Rogue Valley, as Tech meets regional rival, Simpson – the fourth time the Lady Owls have started a year against the Redhawks (2009, 2014, 2016, 2025). Simpson (2-0) has four games under their belt – two lopsided exhibition losses against Division I opponents Cal Poly Humboldt and Cal Poly-SLO but have picked up wins in both counting games – an 85-71 victory at Cal Maritime and a 66-65 road win at Life Pacific. SU is coming off a 14-10 season, losing three starters from that club – but return All-Cal Pac picks in Anna Marshall (13.2 ppg, 5.8 rpg in 2024-25) and Cerina Nguyen (10.7 ppg, 8.0 rpg in 2024-25). College of the Redwoods transfer Moriah Bowles (13.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg) is an outstanding 3-point shooter, with Destiny Nicholas (10.0 ppg, 3.0 apg), a Delta CC transfer, expected to make an impact. OIT takes a 10-game win streak in the series into Thursday's matchup and holds a 29-5 all-time series lead.
OPPONENT PREVIEW – THE MASTER'S: Week 1 of the season ends against an NAIA Tournament foe, as GSAC Tournament champs The Master's make the trip up from Southern California. The Mustangs (19-9 in 2024-25), picked third in the GSAC preseason poll, will be making their season debut in Ashland, looking to replace four starters from a team that averaged 78 points per game and had a sizeable +7.4 rebound margin. Post Alli VanKooten (10.6 ppg, 8.8 rpg), a transfer from Northwest University, is the lone returning starter, while role players Abbie Mullins (2.5 ppg, 1.0 rpg), Izabella Forker (2.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg), Allie Miller (4.1 ppg, 1.7 rpg) and Chloe Auble (6.0 ppg, 1.7 rpg) are expected to see extended minutes this year. It is the fourth time OIT and TMU have met, with the Mustangs winning 2-of-3 contests, including the last match-up in 2019.
ALL-TIME IN SEASON OPENERS: Since women's basketball returned to OIT in 2002, the Lady Owls are a combined 15-8 in season openers – with the team playing 11 season openers at Danny Miles Court and 12 season openers away from the Basin.
STARTING IN ASHLAND: Thursday marks the first-ever season opener in Ashland, but marks the eighth time the Lady Owls will play in a tournament hosted by Southern Oregon. OIT first traveled to Jackson County for preseason games in 2008, played at a SOU hosted tournament from 2011-14 and again in both 2018 and 2023. Overall, the Owls are a combined 10-3 at the Raider Classic.
A LATER START: OIT opens the season on Nov. 6 – the latest start for the Lady Owls since the 2007-08 season (began on Nov. 9). During that 18-year stretch, Tech has opened the women's basketball season in October on five occasions.
AGAINST THE TWO LEAGUES: Tech will open the year against teams from the California Pacific Conference and the Great Southwest Athletic Conference – two leagues that look completely different than they did years ago. OIT is 62-6 all-time against the six current Cal Pac teams, but are 104-23 against all Cal Pac foes (seven teams are no longer in the league), while the Owls are 5-2 against current GSAC teams, but 12-15 against all teams from the league (seven teams are no longer in the league).
LADY OWLS TIE HIGHEST RANKING EVER: For just the fifth time in program history, the Lady Owls were ranked in the NAIA Preseason Top-25 poll, with OIT equaling their highest-ever overall ranking, starting the year at No. 14. The 2025-26 team joins the 2013-14 club that reached No. 14 on Dec. 10, 2013. Previously, Tech opened the season in the Top-25 in 2003, 2016, 2023 and 2024 – with the highest preseason rating at No. 20. It is the fourth-straight polling period the Lady Owls have been in the Top-25.
TECH PICKED SECOND IN CCC POLL: For the second-straight year, OIT was picked second in the 2025-26 Cascade Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, released on Oct. 17. The Lady Owls received three first-place votes and 102 points from the 11 league coaches – trailing only Lewis-Clark State (110), with Southern Oregon (101) and College of Idaho (100) right behind Tech.
SURVEYING THE PRESEASON SCHEDULE: The Lady Owls will play the toughest non-league schedule in program history, including 5-straight games against Top-25 teams. OIT will play just one home game in November – a Nov. 15 date vs. Park-Gilbert, before heading to the Mid-South for games at No. 25 Cumberlands (Ky.), No. 6 Freed Hardeman (Tenn.) and No. 24 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.), immediately followed by a post-Thanksgiving trip to Montana to face No. 16 Carroll and No. 21 Rocky Mountain.
SUCCESS AT DANNY MILES COURT: Danny Miles Court has been a difficult place for opponents since Tech brought women's basketball back as a varsity sport in 2002. Over the past 24 seasons, the Lady Owls have won 76-percent of their home dates – posting a stellar 260-81 overall record – including an 12-3 mark in 2024-25. The 2012-13 squad finished the year with a 15-1 mark, while a season later, the Owls had a 16-2 record – at one point winning 19-consecutive home games. Every season since women's basketball returned to Tech in 2002-03, the Owls have had a winning record every season on their home floor.
RETURNERS TO LEAD THE ATTACK: Though the Lady Owls must replace a pair of starters and a third (
Gabbie Gascon) will miss the year due to injury, nine players from last season's team are poised to reach an NAIA Tournament for a third-straight season and post a fourth-straight 20-win campaign. Anchoring the group is a healthy
Olivia Sprague, as the two-time All-American was injured on the first possession of last season's first game – but has battled back to finally have a senior season. The fifth-year player has averaged 18 points, seven rebounds, four assists and three steals per game over her last two seasons. Also back at the guard line is
Brooke Anderson, who averaged eight points per game after replacing Gascon in the starting lineup midway through last year. All-CCC pick
Tatum Schmerbach is back, as the 2-year starter had a banner sophomore season, averaging 13 points, seven rebounds and a team-best four assists per game – while splitting time between a wing position and point-guard. Schmerbach will be paired with
Kendall Fealey, who will have an expanded role this year. The junior averaged four points per game and ranked third on the club with 40 steals. All-CCC post
Jozie Ramos controls the paint, coming off a breakout sophomore season. The junior scored in double-figures in 16 of the Lady Owls final 18 games, including a monster 32-point performance in a playoff win over Corban, ending the year averaging 14 points and six rebounds per game.
NEWCOMERS HOPE TO MAKE IMPACT: Four new players joined the club – freshmen
Ayla Marston (from Utah),
Maddie Eischen (from Forest Grove) and
Addyson Clark (from Sutherlin), along with senior transfer
Erika Glenn (from Hawaii Pacific). Both Marston and Eischen will be in the rotation at the wing, Clark will content for playing time in the post, while Glenn will be counted on as one of the guards.
AROUND THE CONFERENCE: Half the Cascade Conference opened up play last week, with Corban and Eastern Oregon earning upsets of nationally ranked Arizona Christian, along with a sweep of Embry-Riddle. Southern Oregon, College of Idaho and Bushnell each traveled to Montana and posted a combined 0-5 record, while Walla Walla defeated Northwest Indian College. This week, LC State and Eastern Oregon will face Montana Western and Park-Gilbert in Lewiston, Hope International travels to Corban and Bushnell, with EOU, Northwest, Corban and Walla Walla each playing Division I exhibitions.
RECORD BOOK: Six Lady Owls are currently ranked among the Top-50 in the OIT record book, led by
Olivia Sprague, who is No. 2 in field goal attempts (1,133), No. 3 in steals (179), No. 4 in points scored (1,344), field goals made (478) and 3-pointers made (165), No. 5 in 3-point attempts (427), No. 8 in assists (306), No. 9 in free throws made (223) No. 15 in free throw attempts (274), No. 19 in blocked shots (40), No. 20 in rebounds (459) and ranking No. 34 in games played (90).
Gabbie Gascon is No. 8 in free throws made (233), No. 10 in steals (146), No. 11 in assists (274), No. 13 in free throw attempts (280), No. 17 in 3-pointers made (83), No. 19 in 3-point attempts (260), No. 21 in points scored (806), No. 36 in field goal attempts (601), No. 39 in field goals made (245), ranking No. 41 in rebounds (315) and games played (79);
Jozie Ramos is No. 8 in blocked shots (72), No. 22 in free throws made (176) and free throw attempts (245), No. 36 in points scored (685) and field goals made (251), No. 40 in rebounds (325), No. 49 in field goal attempts (473) and games played (63), ranking just outside the Top-50 in steals (48);
Tatum Schmerbach is No. 17 in assists (219), No. 26 in field goals made (283), No. 27 in rebounds (425) and blocks (32), No. 30 in field goal attempts (642), No. 35 in 3-point attempts (121), No. 37 in 3-pointers made (32), No. 39 in points scored (668), No. 49 in games played (63) and just outside the Top-50 in steals (51), free throws made (70) and free throw attempts (104);
Kendall Fealey is No. 28 in steals (83) and No. 49 in games played (63); with
Chelsea Ching No. 49 in games played (63) and just outside the Top-50 in 3-pointers made (11) and attempted (47).
SCORING 90, ALLOWING UNDER 50 EQUAL WINS: OIT has scored 90-or-more points in a game 42 times, posting a 39-3 record in the high-scoring contests – including five 90-point games last season. The Lady Owls are riding a 99-game win streak when allowing fewer than 50 points in a game, recording a 173-8 record in such games (last loss occurred in 2012, a 42-40 setback at Eastern Oregon).
UP NEXT: Tech returns home next Saturday for their lone home non-conference game of the year, hosting Park-Gilbert as part of the Lithia Classic.
