SALEM, OR – The No. 17 LC State Women’s Basketball team enters the 2026 Cascade Conference Women’s Basketball Championship, presented by U.S. Bank, as the third seed in the tournament for the third year in a row. The Warriors have advanced to the title game all four years as members of the conference. The opponent in three of the four was (RV) Southern Oregon, but this year the two powerhouses will face off in the quarterfinal.
Top-seeded No. 20 Corban (Ore.) will play host to the entire women’s tournament, so LC State will face SOU on a neutral court. The winner will advance to the semifinal on Saturday against the winner of seventh-seeded Warner Pacific (Ore.) and second-seeded No. 14 Eastern Oregon.
THE MATCHUP
The Warriors have faced SOU eight times in the last three seasons and snapped a five-game losing streak to the Raiders this season in Lewiston. Sitara Byrd led the contest with 23 points and seven steals, while Darian Herring filled up her stat sheet with 11 rebounds and five assists. The LC State defense was stellar and held SOU to 31.8% from the floor and 14.3% from 3-point range.
The Warriors outshot SOU in the rematch, but 10 3-pointers by the Raiders was the difference when LC State fell in Ashland. Bridgette McIntyre connected for seven triples and totaled 34 points to lead the contest.
THE WARRIORS (21-7, 15-5)
LC State has proven to be one of the most versatile teams in the conference both defensively and offensively this season. Four Warriors are averaging double digits in scoring and three are grabbing more than four rebounds per game.
The Warriors lead the CCC in 3-point percentage (35.4), field goal percentage (46.7) and steals per game (12.2) and are second in scoring (78.3) and assists per game (17.3).
Darian Herring has been one of the top defensive players in the CCC all season. The junior ranks second all-time at LC State in blocks with 209 and leads the conference this season with 62. She is the top rebounder with 8.9 per game and is fourth in assists with 101. Offensively, she is averaging 11.9 points per game with a 50.2% field goal percentage.
Lindsey Wilson is at the top of the conference and eighth in the NAIA in field goal percentage (61.9), and Kendall Wallace leads in 3-pointer percentage (44.5), giving the Warriors scoring options from all over the court. Sitara Byrd can score from nearly anywhere and leads the Warriors with 14.2 points per game on a 50.7% field goal percentage and 41.8% 3-point percentage. She had 6.1 rebounds per game along with 69 steals to make her one of the most dynamic players in the conference.
Payton Hymas has orchestrated the offense all season long and ranks second in the CCC with 119 assists. She is also second in steals with 73 and is second on the team with 12.5 points per game with a 50.6% field goal percentage. Senior Camden Barger is third on the team with 67 assists and has been key to the offensive strategy as well and has contributed baskets in clutch moments for the Warriors.
Tatum Brager, Wallace and Byrd combine for a massive threat from 3-point range. Wallace has knocked down a team-best 61 triples, Brager has 49 and Byrd is right behind with 46.
THE RAIDERS (19-9, 14-6)
Southern Oregon enters the CCC tournament on a two-game losing streak after getting swept by No. 14 Eastern Oregon and (RV) College of Idaho to close out the regular season. The Raiders have lost three of their last four but have had clutch wins against top teams throughout the season including LC State.
SOU is second in the CCC in steals per game this season with 11.5. The Raiders have two players in the top five individually with Sage Winslow (60) and Keeley Wright (59).
McIntyre, who was unstoppable from 3-point range against LC State in Ashland, ranks fourth in the CCC in scoring with 15.4 points per game. Eliza DiGiulio is the top 3-point shooter for the Raiders and is second in the conference with a 42.9% 3-point percentage. She averages 12.3 points per game.
Defensively, Lydia Traore leads SOU with 5.7 rebounds per game and is fifth in the conference with 35 blocks this season.
THE DETAILS
The Warriors take on Southern Oregon on Friday at noon in Salem. The winner will advance to play in the CCC semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 28 in Salem.
