Friday, November 24 • vs #12 Missouri Western State • 6 p.m.
#12 Missouri Western State (3-0)
Head Coach: Candi Whitaker (185-209)
at St. Mary's (0-2)
Head Coach: Valerie Huizar (49-43)
Arena: Bill Greehey Arena
Saturday, November 25 • vs Oklahoma Baptist • 4 p.m.
Oklahoma Baptist (1-2)
Head Coach: Bo Overton (58-93)
at St. Mary's (0-2)
Head Coach: Valerie Huizar (49-43)
Arena: Bill Greehey Arena
Opening Tip
• It's been a while since the St. Mary's Women's Basketball team has faced either opponent they'll take on in the annual St. Mary's Thanksgiving Classic. The Rattlers last took on Missouri Western State in 2006, while the Rattlers haven't played Oklahoma Baptist since 1991. Texas A&M Kingsville will be on the opposite side of the classic format and will not face the Rattlers.
• Freshman Taylor Haggan currently ranks second in the Lone Star Conference in both scoring (21.0) and rebounding (13.0), ranking in the top 20 in the nation in both.
• 2023-24 marks the return of the St. Mary's Thanksgiving Tournament. It will be the ninth time since 2008 the Rattlers have hosted the classic. Missouri Western State and Oklahoma Baptist are making their first appearance in the field, while this will be the second tournament for Texas A&M Kingsville (2021). For a full tournament history and records, see page 9.
• Freshman Ramsey Robledo ranks third in the conference in three-point field goal percentage (50%) and seventh in triples made per game (2.0). She also is tied for the nation's lead in free throw percentage, making all nine of her attempts thus far.
• With her first point of the season, senior Natalia Ryng scored the 300th point of her career. She now has 308 after scoring nine in the first two games of the year.
• The Rattlers beat a Division I foe for the second-straight year, winning 70-64 in an exhibition at UTRGV on Nov 4. A season ago, the Gold and Blue won a thrilling 66-65 decision at Sam Houston State on a last second three-pointer.
• The Rattlers have half the team returning from the 2022-23 season and welcome eight newcomers for a total of 15 players on the roster. Of the eight newcomers, four are freshmen and four are transfers.
• Senior forward Natalia Ryng was named a Player to Watch by the Lone Star Conference. Ryng concluded last season narrowly missing a triple-double with 10 points, 10 rebounds and seven steals in the team's win over rival, St. Edward's.
• The next victory for St. Mary's will be the 50th in the career of Head Coach Valerie Huizar.
• The 2023-24 season is the 46th for St. Mary's University. The Rattlers are 709-559 in 45 years of play.
• Head Coach Valerie Huizar was one of the featured coaches by the WBCA during October's Hispanic Heritage Month.
Series History: St. Mary's is looking for its first-ever win against Missouri Western State after losing the first three games in the series. The teams haven't met since 2006, and this will be the third-straight time the teams have met with the Griffons appearing in the national rankings as they are #12 this week. The two teams met once at Bill Greehey, an 83-69 win for MWSU on Dec. 21, 2004. The Rattlers are 2-0 against Oklahoma Baptist, though the two teams haven't met since 1991. Both games in the series were played at Alumni Gym, the former home of the Gold and Blue.
A Look Back: St. Mary's lost both games in the South Central Regional Crossover, falling 81-68 to host Colorado School of Mines and 69-62 to Regis. The Rangers are now ranked #18 in the nation, according to the WBCA after starting the season 3-0. Four Rattlers are averaging 9.5 points per game or higher after the first weekend. Taylor Haggan leads with 21.0, while Ramsey Robledo is 11.5 and both Teanna Huggins and Sheridan Kavanagh average 9.5 per game.
Rewriting the Books: Freshman forward Taylor Haggan has already put herself among the elite at St. Mary's. She became the first-ever freshman to record double-doubles in her first two collegiate games and the first two record back-to-back 20-point scoring games in a season since Soteria Banks did so in 2017-18. Haggan currently ranks second in the Lone Star in both scoring (21.0) and rebounding (13.0).
Flipping the Script: A season ago, StMU struggled at the free throw line, ranking 16th in the Lone Star at just 65.2 percent. This season the team is off to a much better start, ranking fourth in the conference and 22nd in the nation shooting 79.5 percent at the charity stripe.
Against Nationally Ranked: St. Mary's is 7-42 since joining the Division II ranks against nationally-ranked foes. The last win against a team in the top-25 came on Nov. 23, 2018 against #1 Central Missouri in double overtime, 101-97. The game on Friday against Missouri Western State will be the first time the Rattlers have faced a team ranked #12 in the WBCA poll.
Milestones: Several Rattlers are closing in on career milestones:
Jaedyn Dunn: 6 points shy 100
Teanna Huggins: 11 points shy of 250
Sheridan Kavanagh: 5 rebounds shy 100; 6 points shy of 150
Ariah Powell: 24 points shy 200 at StMU
Evelyn Quiroz: 13 rebounds shy 200
Natalia Ryng: 17 rebounds shy 300
They're Ba-ack: St. Mary's returns two starters off last season's team in Natalia Ryng and Teanna Huggins, who each started all 28 games, while the duo of Reyelle Frazier (13) and Ariah Powell (10) split time starting.
They're Smart Too: All seven returners on the team were named to the Lone Star Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for the spring semester, carrying a minimum GPA of 3.30 for the semester. Michaela Kucera, Alexis Robinson and Natalia Ryng also earned D2 ADA Academic Achievement Awards for having a 3.5 minimum cumulative GPA.
