Getting Things Started: The St. Mary's University Women's Basketball team kicks off season No. 50 on Friday against Chaminade in the Hoops in Hawaii Tip-Off Classic. The Rattlers will play three games in Honolulu, with the other two opponents to be determined in bracket play. The other teams in the tournament are Alaska Anchorage, Colorado Mesa, Hawaii Pacific, Lubbock Christian, Western Colorado and Winona State.

Half a Century: The 2026-27 season marks the 50th year of women's basketball being an intercollegiate sport at St. Mary's. The 1977-78 season was the first for the Rattlers, where they were just 2-21 under the inaugural head coach Jim Coen. Stay tuned to the Rattler Athletics website for festivities surrounding the celebration of the 50th year, including Alumni Day on February 20.

Early Start: The Rattlers will be playing in week zero for the first time in school history and October 30 is the earliest start to a campaign by 10 days. In both 2013 and 2024, the Rattlers had their season openers on November 8. It is also the first time St. Mary's has ever played in the state of Hawaii, and only the second time the team has played west of the Arizona/New Mexico border (San Diego, 2008).

Picked Seventh: In the preseason poll for the Lone Star Conference, St. Mary's has been voted to finish seventh for the 2026-27 season. The Rattlers received 540 points and the league's coaches, communications personnel and media put the Rattlers in the top-10 for the first time since 2021. Texas Woman's is predicted to win its fifth-straight regular season title, garnering 31 of the 51 first-place votes and 828 points, while West Texas A&M received 10 first-place nods and 794 points to finish second. UT Tyler (9), Lubbock Christian and Eastern New Mexico (1) rounded out the top five, while Angelo State edged out the Rattlers for sixth with 594 points.

Balancing Act: The Rattlers return three of four All-Conference selections from a season ago in Christin Callens, Allie Garcia and Raynne Malik, along with four others, and adds a talented crop of eight newcomers which includes three transfers and five freshmen. Garcia led the team in scoring with 10.5 points per game and is a Player to Watch in the Lone Star Conference, while Callens was second in both scoring (10.0) and rebounding (4.5), and Malik led the team with 7.6 rebounds and ranked 12th nationally with 2.19 blocked shots per game.

Season Five: 2026-27 marks the fifth season with Valerie Huizar as the Head Coach. The Rattlers have won more games against Lone Star opponents each season she's been at the helm, including an 11-9 mark a season ago. The Rattlers are 44-67 in her four years, with a 31-55 mark in league action.

Historical Ties: Junior transfer Kamryn Griffin returns home to San Antonio after playing her first two years at Central Arkansas. Griffin is the daughter of St. Mary's all-time leading scorer Erin Griffin, who scored 1,642 points between 2000-04 and was a two-time All-American. 

Block Party: The 2026-27 team blocked 113 shots, which is the third-most in a single season in St. Mary's history, and only four off the school record of 117 by the 1999-00 team. Raynne Malik swatted 59 of those 113 shots, ranking 12th in Division II with 2.19 per game. Her 59 blocks are the third-most in StMU history and give her 115 for her career, which ranks fifth on the career charts.

Triple Threat: Senior guard Allie Garcia enters her second season at St. Mary's having made at least on three-pointer in 21 straight games. Garcia was 40-for-128 from behind the arc in 2025-26. She started 3-for-21 over her first five games, then drained 37-of-107 (34.6 percent) over the final 21. Garcia missed the Lone Star Quarterfinal game due to an injury.

Scouting Chaminade: The Swords are coming off an 0-26 season, but made 10 additions to the roster under the direction of second-year head coach Travis Brewster. Leading scorer Alyssa Schuetze returns after averaging 13.4 points per game a season ago, as does Julien Parado, who led Chaminade with 2.77 assists per game.