Wednesday, November 4
Stanford, CA
7:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
at
Stanford
Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)
11/3/2026 9:22:00 AM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's women's basketball team is locked and loaded for the 2026-27 college basketball season, hitting the road for its first two contests against Stanford and Air Force. The Gaels will visit Maples Pavilion Wednesday night for the first time since 1999 before traveling to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force on Saturday to round out its opening week.
After defeating Wyoming to open the 2025-26 season, the Gaels will look to win back-to-back season openers for the first time since defeating Nevada in back-to-back openers during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. Tip-off for Wednesday's opener is slated for 7 p.m. while Saturday's contest in Colorado will be played at noon pacific time.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WBB | Saint Mary's at Stanford | Maples Pavilion
Stanford, Calif. | Nov. 4 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ACCNX | Radio | Tickets
WBB | Saint Mary's at Air Force | Clune Arena
Colorado Springs, Colo. | Nov. 7 | 12 p.m.
Live Stats | MW+ | Radio | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Hammer Banana Slugs in Final Exhibition Tune-Up…
Saint Mary's looked sharp in its final exhibition against UC Santa Cruz last Friday, defeating the Banana Slugs 87-40. The Gaels did a bit of everything, shooting over 50% from the field and 43% from three with a game-high nine three-pointers. Four players finished the night in double-figures including a game-high 15 points from returners Charlece Ohiaeri and NaTallia Urlacher. The 6-foot-1 forward also led the way on the glass with eight rebounds and knocked in a three to showcase her dynamic scoring abilities. Urlacher led all players with eight steals on the night, contributing to a game-high 30 turnovers from Santa Cruz.
Saint Mary's hit nine three's on the night including a game-high three from freshman Lucy Aherne and a pair from transfer guard Lihi Azouri. Aherne finished with eleven points as she'll make her collegiate debut this season after joining the program mid-year from Australia a season ago. Azouri will be at the center of the Gaels' perimeter shooting success this season after averaging just under 40% from three at Southeastern Louisiana last year. All eleven players to see the floor on Friday found the scoresheet as the Gaels will head into Maples Pavilion with plenty of confidence, seeking their second all-time win over Stanford and first since 2000.
Fountain of Youth; Seven True Freshmen to Suit Up for 2026-27 Season…
Head coach Jeff Cammon brought in a total of seven freshmen for the 2026-27 campaign, nearly half of the 15-player squad. Lucy Aherne will be one of the freshman leaders on this year's squad as she had the benefit of joining the program mid-season last year like several Aussies do. Additional talent out of the freshmen class will come from 2026 Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, Audrey Bhesania. The 6-foot-1 guard can act like a matchup nightmare in the right setup and is a three-level scorer. She averaged 18 points and nearly nine boards per game during her senior season at Sandra Day O'Connor and will certainly be a part of the rotation throughout the season.
Year Four under Cammon…
Cammon enters his fourth season in Moraga with a record of 42-52. Over his two head coaching stops, Cammon has 126 career victories under his belt and is best known as a defensive mastermind. Since taking over in Moraga, Cammon has turned Saint Mary's into one of the top defensive teams in the West Coast Conference. The Gaels led the WCC in scoring defense last season allowing just 59.4 points per game while averaging just under ten steals per game. Their 9.9 steals per game was the highest season average since 1996 when the Gaels won 17 games while averaging 12.1 steals per game. With an improved offense and a tenacious backcourt, the Gaels have the opportunity to turn some heads this season and be a difficult matchup for teams night in and night out.
Series History…
Saint Mary's will rekindle some old flames in the opening week of college basketball with trips to Stanford and Air Force. The Gaels and Cardinal have only met three times and Wednesday's season opener will be the first meeting since 2000. The Gaels will look to knock off their first ACC opponent since a 62-54 victory over Boston College back in 2016. Saturday's matchup with the Falcons will be just the third all-time and the first since 1999. The Gaels will take their 2-0 unbeaten record against the Falcons into Colorado Springs on Saturday, looking for their first win inside Clune Arena since that 1999 season.
ABOUT THE CARDINAL (0-1, ACC)
Stanford got its 2026-27 campaign underway Monday afternoon in the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Cardinal erased a 14-point deficit against the Arizona Wildcats but turned it over 30 times to eventually fall 84-69. The loss was the first season opening defeat for Stanford since a loss to No. 5 Ohio State back in 2017. Stanford returns five players from last season including ACC All-Freshman Team member Hailee Swain. Swain hit double-figures 23 times a season ago while Shay Ijiwoye led the team with 43 blocks as the team's defensive stopper inside.
Stanford was picked to finish 13th in this year's ACC Preseason Coaches poll out of the 18-team conference. Kate Paye enters her third season at the helm after taking over the head coaching job for the Cardinal prior to the 2024-25 season. Paye was a standout player for the Cardinal and a member of the program's 1992 National Championship squad as well as an Associate Head Coach with the 2021 national champs. She has been with the Cardinal since 2007 and has a 37-30 overall record as head coach in her two seasons.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (1-0, Mountain West)
The Air Force Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Preseason Coaches poll released back on October 7. The Falcons will open their 2026-27 season with three consecutive games against West Coast Conference opponents including Denver Monday night. The Falcons took care of business inside Clune Arena with a 66-45 victory over the Pioneers highlighted by an 18-point 18-rebound double-double from Jayda McNabb. They will remain at Clune Arena to host Saint Mary's on Saturday followed by San Francisco on Wednesday, November 11.
Senior guard Jayda McNabb earned Preseason All-Mountain West honors after averaging seven points and seven rebounds in 35 starts last season. She got off to a good start on Monday with her first double-double of the season to aid a 21-point victory over Denver. Stacy McIntyre enters her third season as head coach in Colorado Springs after being promoted in April of 2024 after spending the previous nine seasons on staff as an assistant. She will start the 2026-27 season with a 34-34 record since assuming the head role in 2024.
Single-game tickets for the 2026-27 season are available online at smcgaels.com/tickets and season ticket packages for the women's basketball season can be purchased HERE.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
After defeating Wyoming to open the 2025-26 season, the Gaels will look to win back-to-back season openers for the first time since defeating Nevada in back-to-back openers during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 campaigns. Tip-off for Wednesday's opener is slated for 7 p.m. while Saturday's contest in Colorado will be played at noon pacific time.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WBB | Saint Mary's at Stanford | Maples Pavilion
Stanford, Calif. | Nov. 4 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ACCNX | Radio | Tickets
WBB | Saint Mary's at Air Force | Clune Arena
Colorado Springs, Colo. | Nov. 7 | 12 p.m.
Live Stats | MW+ | Radio | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Hammer Banana Slugs in Final Exhibition Tune-Up…
Saint Mary's looked sharp in its final exhibition against UC Santa Cruz last Friday, defeating the Banana Slugs 87-40. The Gaels did a bit of everything, shooting over 50% from the field and 43% from three with a game-high nine three-pointers. Four players finished the night in double-figures including a game-high 15 points from returners Charlece Ohiaeri and NaTallia Urlacher. The 6-foot-1 forward also led the way on the glass with eight rebounds and knocked in a three to showcase her dynamic scoring abilities. Urlacher led all players with eight steals on the night, contributing to a game-high 30 turnovers from Santa Cruz.
Saint Mary's hit nine three's on the night including a game-high three from freshman Lucy Aherne and a pair from transfer guard Lihi Azouri. Aherne finished with eleven points as she'll make her collegiate debut this season after joining the program mid-year from Australia a season ago. Azouri will be at the center of the Gaels' perimeter shooting success this season after averaging just under 40% from three at Southeastern Louisiana last year. All eleven players to see the floor on Friday found the scoresheet as the Gaels will head into Maples Pavilion with plenty of confidence, seeking their second all-time win over Stanford and first since 2000.
Fountain of Youth; Seven True Freshmen to Suit Up for 2026-27 Season…
Head coach Jeff Cammon brought in a total of seven freshmen for the 2026-27 campaign, nearly half of the 15-player squad. Lucy Aherne will be one of the freshman leaders on this year's squad as she had the benefit of joining the program mid-season last year like several Aussies do. Additional talent out of the freshmen class will come from 2026 Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year, Audrey Bhesania. The 6-foot-1 guard can act like a matchup nightmare in the right setup and is a three-level scorer. She averaged 18 points and nearly nine boards per game during her senior season at Sandra Day O'Connor and will certainly be a part of the rotation throughout the season.
Year Four under Cammon…
Cammon enters his fourth season in Moraga with a record of 42-52. Over his two head coaching stops, Cammon has 126 career victories under his belt and is best known as a defensive mastermind. Since taking over in Moraga, Cammon has turned Saint Mary's into one of the top defensive teams in the West Coast Conference. The Gaels led the WCC in scoring defense last season allowing just 59.4 points per game while averaging just under ten steals per game. Their 9.9 steals per game was the highest season average since 1996 when the Gaels won 17 games while averaging 12.1 steals per game. With an improved offense and a tenacious backcourt, the Gaels have the opportunity to turn some heads this season and be a difficult matchup for teams night in and night out.
Series History…
Saint Mary's will rekindle some old flames in the opening week of college basketball with trips to Stanford and Air Force. The Gaels and Cardinal have only met three times and Wednesday's season opener will be the first meeting since 2000. The Gaels will look to knock off their first ACC opponent since a 62-54 victory over Boston College back in 2016. Saturday's matchup with the Falcons will be just the third all-time and the first since 1999. The Gaels will take their 2-0 unbeaten record against the Falcons into Colorado Springs on Saturday, looking for their first win inside Clune Arena since that 1999 season.
ABOUT THE CARDINAL (0-1, ACC)
Stanford got its 2026-27 campaign underway Monday afternoon in the Hall of Fame Series at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas. The Cardinal erased a 14-point deficit against the Arizona Wildcats but turned it over 30 times to eventually fall 84-69. The loss was the first season opening defeat for Stanford since a loss to No. 5 Ohio State back in 2017. Stanford returns five players from last season including ACC All-Freshman Team member Hailee Swain. Swain hit double-figures 23 times a season ago while Shay Ijiwoye led the team with 43 blocks as the team's defensive stopper inside.
Stanford was picked to finish 13th in this year's ACC Preseason Coaches poll out of the 18-team conference. Kate Paye enters her third season at the helm after taking over the head coaching job for the Cardinal prior to the 2024-25 season. Paye was a standout player for the Cardinal and a member of the program's 1992 National Championship squad as well as an Associate Head Coach with the 2021 national champs. She has been with the Cardinal since 2007 and has a 37-30 overall record as head coach in her two seasons.
ABOUT THE FALCONS (1-0, Mountain West)
The Air Force Falcons were picked to finish sixth in the Mountain West Preseason Coaches poll released back on October 7. The Falcons will open their 2026-27 season with three consecutive games against West Coast Conference opponents including Denver Monday night. The Falcons took care of business inside Clune Arena with a 66-45 victory over the Pioneers highlighted by an 18-point 18-rebound double-double from Jayda McNabb. They will remain at Clune Arena to host Saint Mary's on Saturday followed by San Francisco on Wednesday, November 11.
Senior guard Jayda McNabb earned Preseason All-Mountain West honors after averaging seven points and seven rebounds in 35 starts last season. She got off to a good start on Monday with her first double-double of the season to aid a 21-point victory over Denver. Stacy McIntyre enters her third season as head coach in Colorado Springs after being promoted in April of 2024 after spending the previous nine seasons on staff as an assistant. She will start the 2026-27 season with a 34-34 record since assuming the head role in 2024.
Single-game tickets for the 2026-27 season are available online at smcgaels.com/tickets and season ticket packages for the women's basketball season can be purchased HERE.
Be sure to follow your Gaels on Facebook, Instagram, and X to get all the latest Saint Mary's athletics updates and information.
#GaelsRise
Players Mentioned
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