Tiger Women's Hoops returns to the floor against familiar opponents in the ETBU Christmas Classic and Southwestern.
The Tigers (3-6) split their games before their short Christmas break. After falling 70-85 against East Texas Baptist, the Tigers picked up an impressive 89-62 win over Mary Hardin-Baylor. Against UMHB,
Kylie Minter (League City, Texas / Clear Springs) picked up 21 points on an impressive 5-8 shooting from deep. Also,
Skye O'Rourke (Austin, Texas / Vandergrift) had an impressive game with 12 points and eight boards, six of them being offensive.
Preview - ETBU Christmas Classic and Return To Calgaard
The Tigers will travel to Marshall, Texas for an early week tri-team tournament. First, the Tigers will play against Mary Hardin-Baylor on Monday, December 29th at 3:00 PM. They will finish the tournament against ETBU on the following day at 5:00 PM. Then, the Tigers will begin their Southern Athletic Association (SAA) and 2026 journey against Southwestern at home on January 3rd at 4:00 PM.
On the Mary Hardin-Baylor Crusaders: The Cru enter the matchup with a 4-9 overall record. UMHB opened the season with an 0-4 start before rebounding with consecutive wins over La Verne and Southwestern. Their other two victories came against Texas Lutheran and Schreiner. However, since their December 3 win over Schreiner, the Crusaders have dropped four straight games.Offensively, senior guard Rachel Okoye leads the team in scoring at 11.4 points per game. She does most of her damage inside the arc, having attempted just 17 three-point shots this season. In the previous meeting, UMHB fell to the Tigers but shot efficiently, connecting on 42 percent from the field and 44 percent from beyond the arc. Historically, Trinity holds an 18-5 advantage in the all-time series against UMHB.
On the East Texas Baptist Tigers: ETBU enters the matchup with an impressive 11-2 overall record. The Tigers' two losses this season came against St. Thomas (69-55) and UW–Whitewater (75-40). Offensively, ETBU is shooting 41 percent from the field and 34 percent from three-point range. Sophomore guard Macey Jones leads the team in scoring at nearly 12 points per game while shooting an efficient 46 percent from the floor. Senior guard Sarah Cowan has been lethal from beyond the arc, knocking down 48 percent of her three-point attempts (27-of-56). Defensively, ETBU has been just as effective, holding opponents to 34 percent shooting and an average of 55 points per game. In the most recent meeting, ETBU defeated Trinity, and the all-time series between the two programs is tied at 3-3.
On the Southwestern Pirates: Southwestern enters the matchup with an 8-2 record and is riding a four-game winning streak. The Pirates' two losses this season came against UMHB, a surprising 78-59 setback, and Hardin-Simmons. Offensively, freshman guard Neela Castillo has emerged as a primary scoring threat, averaging 15 points per game and proving dangerous from all areas of the floor. Forward Trinity Benitez also provides consistent production, averaging double figures this season. The Tigers have not faced Southwestern since February of last season. In the most recent meeting, Trinity dominated the Pirates 110-56, extending its all-time series advantage to 52-14.
Looking Ahead
The Tigers will continue their SAA journey against Oglethorpe on January 9th.
