SAN ANTONIO – The Trinity women's basketball team will celebrate its Thanksgiving holiday with three games this week, including a home-and-home series against nationally-ranked Hardin-Simmons University and a weekend finale at home against LeTourneau University.
The Tigers have opened the season with a 4-0 record, beginning with a record-setting 140-87 win over Birmingham-Southern College. Trinity finished off the Richard Dardenne Memorial Classic in Birmingham, Alabama, with an 80-58 win over Millsaps.
Addie Putnam (Scottsdale, Ariz. / Xavier College Prep) was named the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference for her performance in the opening weekend of the season.
Last week began with Trinity taking a 72-59 road win over Howard Payne University, then took its home opener by the final score of 91-56 over Sul Ross State University. The four straight wins to open the season is the best start for a Tiger team since 2016-17, which saw Trinity start the year 14-0.
NCAA III Rankings: D3hoops.com and WBCA
The preseason rankings put Trinity at fifth in the country according to D3football.com, while Hardin-Simmons was 18th in the preseason poll. The Women's Basketball Coaches Association released its first poll of the regular season and the Tigers have moved up one spot to fifth. Hardin-Simmons is also now ranked No. 25 in NCAA III. Trinity is in the top five behind Hope College, Christopher Newport University, Amherst College, and New York University.
Preview: Hardin-Simmons (twice) and LeTourneau
The Tigers open up the holiday week with a road trip to Abilene, Texas, facing off against No. 18 Hardin-Simmons on Tuesday, November 22, at 6:00 p.m. Trinity returns home over the weekend, hosting Hardin-Simmons at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 26, and LeTourneau University at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, November 27.
Trinity is 13-7 against HSU since the teams met in 2002-03, including a 3-5 record on the road. The Tigers have won both games in the series that have happened during the NCAA Playoffs, while also winning the only neutral-site matchup. Last year, Trinity split two meetings on the road, losing a narrow 63-65 game early in the season, then returning for a 61-57 win in the first round of the NCAA Playoffs in March.
The Tigers have won all three meetings against LeTourneau, including last season's 75-57 victory in the series.
LeTourneau has opened the season with a 3-1 overall record, with the only loss coming against sixth-ranked Christopher Newport University. The Yellowjackets have earned two of their three wins in overtime and all three have been decided by seven points or less. First-year Johnai Wimbleduff was just named the American Southwest Conference co-Player of the Week and leads the team with 17.5 points/game and 7.0 rebounds/game this year.
Like Trinity, Hardin-Simmons is undefeated to start the season, winning three home games to open the year. Natasha Blizzard is averaging a double-double this season with 10.7 points and 11.0 rebounds per game, shooting over 70% from the field. Parris Parmer leads the Cowgirls with 13.0 points per game on the year.
Trinity has a trio of starters averaging more than 11 points per game, led by Putnam and fellow senior
Ashlyn Milton (Amarillo, Texas / Amarillo). Milton had her best game of the young season in Sunday's home opener, scoring 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting overall and 5-for-8 from three-point range. Sophomore transfer
Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Ore. / Valley Catholic) is right behind Milton in three-pointers made this season – her first with the Tigers.
Maggie Robbins (Plano, Texas / Plano) leads Trinity with 16 assists and 16 steals in the first four games.
Looking Ahead: SCAC Openers at Centenary (12/2) and St. Thomas (12/4)
Following the holiday week, the Tigers will open defense of last year's SCAC Championship with a pair of road games against Centenary College and University of St. Thomas. Trinity faces Centenary in Shreveport, Louisiana, on Friday, December 2, at 5:30 p.m., then travels to Houston to take on St. Thomas at noon on Sunday.
