Trinity University Women's Basketball heads to California for a trio of games this weekend.
 
The Tigers (0-1) dropped their first game of the season to the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor. Kylie Minter (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) led the Trinity in points with 13 while Josie Napoli (Beaverton, Oregon / Valley Catholic) and Skye O'Rourke (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) had seven points. Under Coach Hill, the Tigers are now 9-4 in season openers. 
 
Preview - California Girls
 
The Tigers will open up their trip to California against Whittier College on Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 PM (PT). Then, they will play against the University of Redlands on Saturday, November 23rd at 5:00 PM (PT). The Togethers will close out their trip against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps the following day at 2:00 PM (PT). 
 
On the Whittier Poets: The Poets have had an impressive start to the season with a 3-0 record. After an opening win against Westcliff, they defeated Bushnell 83-69 and narrowly edged out UC-Santa Cruz 63-56. The team's success has been driven by senior guard Rhe Nae Leach, who has been dominant offensively, scoring at least 15 points in every game and posting 28 and 30 points in the last two outings. Supporting Leach are senior guard Kristen Lopez and senior forward Lorita Salloom, both of whom are averaging double-digit points this season. This game marks the first-ever meeting between these two schools. The Poets' last matchup against a Texas opponent was during the 2019-2020 season when they defeated Hardin-Simmons 70-57.
 
On the Redlands Bulldogs: Trinity prepares for a challenging matchup against the University of Redlands Bulldogs, who are off to a competitive 2-2 start this season. The Bulldogs began their campaign with a 15-point victory over St. Catherine, followed by an impressive 61-50 win against 17th-ranked Transylvania. However, Redlands narrowly fell in back-to-back 51-56 losses to 14th-ranked Smith College and NCAA II UT-Dallas. While the Bulldogs boast strong offensive firepower, their defense has been the standout, holding opponents to just 51 points per game and an impressive .192 three-point shooting percentage. Redlands will lean on their trio of scorers: AJ Wick, Alex Facelo, and Colbi Zorich—each averaging over 12 points per game and shooting nearly 40 percent from the field. The Tigers narrowly edged Redlands 59-52 in their last meeting during the 2014-2015 season. Trinity holds a 3-1 all-time record against the Bulldogs.
 
On the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas: The Trinity Tigers will face the Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Athenas, who enter the game with a 2-1 record on the season. CMS picked up wins against UC-Santa Cruz and Lebanon Valley College but dropped their most recent contest to Emmanuel College (Mass.) 68-54. The Athenas have shown offensive potential, shooting 36 percent from the field as a team. However, they have allowed opponents to shoot 45 percent, and their 64 percent free-throw shooting shows another area for improvement. Junior guard Renee Chong leads CMS, averaging nearly 17 points per game and anchoring the offense alongside another double-digit scorer. In last season's matchup, the Tigers dominated CMS 82-62, shooting an efficient 33 percent from beyond the arc. Trinity holds a 3-1 all-time record against the Athenas and will look to build on that success in this upcoming game.
 
Looking Ahead
 
The Tigers will travel to Belton for a rematch against Mary Hardin-Baylor on December 4th.