LEWISTON, ID – No. 17 LC State Women’s Basketball will play at home for the first time this postseason as the No. 4 seed in the Duer Quadrant of the bracket. The Warriors will host the 2025 NAIA Women’s Basketball National Championship First and Second Rounds in the P1FCU Activity Center and will open the weekend against 13th-seeded Hope International (Calif.) on Friday at 5:30 p.m.
Fifth-seeded No. 15 Montana Tech will travel to Lewiston and face 12th-seeded Nelson (Texas) at 7:30 p.m. on Friday. The winners of the two games will face off in the NAIA Second Round.
Tickets are on sale now at lcwarriors.com/tickets. Information on tickets, live streaming and the full bracket can be found on the tournament central page HERE.
The Warriors have not faced HIU since November of 2016 when LC State earned a 93-51 victory in early non-conference play. Current head coach Caelyn Orlandi led the Warriors with 16 points and nine assists. LC State is 2-1 against the Royals since 2007.
No. 4 Seed – Lewis-Clark State (Idaho) (23-8, 15-5)
The LC State Women’s Basketball team is making its eighth straight trip to the national tournament and 28th overall with an at-large bid out the Cascade Conference. The Warriors finished as the runners-up in the CCC postseason tournament before a loss to No. 20 Corban (Ore.) in Salem.
LC State faced early tests with a strong non-conference schedule. The Warriors defeated then-No. 15 Rocky Mountain (Mont.) 71-61 on the road and earned other victories over ranked teams in the CCC with wins over Corban and Eastern Oregon.
The Warriors had four players earn All-CCC honors in seniors Sitara Byrd and Payton Hymas, junior Darian Herring and sophomore Kendall Wallace. Byrd led LC State in scoring throughout the season with 13.6 points per game and ranks second in the conference in 3-point percentage (41.9%). She is third in steals with 71 and adds 6.3 rebounds per game.
Hymas is second in the conference in steals (75) and assists (125) and is the only CCC player to be in the top five in both categories. She has put together the best season of her career with 12.9 points per game while shooting 50% from the field. Herring is one of the top defensive players in the CCC with a conference-best 8.9 rebounds per game and 69 blocked shots. Her 12.0 points per game are third on the teams and she is fourth in the Cascade with 103 assists.
Wallace had a breakout season and ranks fifth in the conference in 3-point percentage (41%) heading into the national tournament. The sophomore leads LC State in 3-pointers made with 64 and is fourth at LC in scoring with 10.2 points per game. Her 53 steals are third on the team.
LC State is the top CCC team in steals per game (11.8) and is second in scoring (76.4), field goal percentage (45.9) and 3-point percentage (34.3).
No. 13 Seed – Hope International (Calif.) (24-4, 15-1)
Hope International is making its fourth trip to the national tournament and first since 2023 after winning the GSAC regular season and tournament titles for the first time in program history. Coach Jessica Case was named the conference Coach of the Year.
The Royals struggled against CCC teams early in their season with losses to Corban, College of Idaho and Southern Oregon. HIU had a stellar conference season with just one loss at the hands of The Master’s (Calif.). With two wins in the conference tournament, Hope International is riding a seven-game winning streak.
Amira Austin was named the GSAC Co-Defensive Player of the Year while Aliyah Gonzalez and Nicole Chuang also earned All-GSAC honors. Austin is third in the GSAC in rebounds per game (10.4), third in blocks (38) and fifth in field goal percentage (49.7). She leads the Royals in scoring as well with 14.0 points per game and has 37 steals this season.
Gonzalez is third in the conference in 3-point percentage (36.1) and third at HIU in scoring with 12.9 points per game. Chuang knocked down a team-best 67 3-pointers this season and is second on the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game.
HIU is second in the GSAC in scoring (70.3) and 3-point percentage (30.7).
