Tuesday, November 10
Moraga, CA
7:00 PM
Saint Mary's College of California
vs
Chico State
Photo by: Varun Aravind (@vflicks04)
11/9/2026 2:17:00 PM | Women's Basketball
MORAGA, Calif. - The Saint Mary's women's basketball team will return to Moraga this week for its home opener against Chico State on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The Gaels are in search of their first win of the 2026-27 season before heading to Hawaii for their first MTE of the year at the Bank of Hawaii Classic starting on Friday, November 13. Tuesday's home opener will be streamed live on ESPN+ and tickets can be bought online at smcgaels.com/tickets.
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WBB | Saint Mary's vs. Chico State | UCU Pavilion
Moraga, Calif. | Nov. 10 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Hit Ten Three's in Season Opener at Stanford…
Saint Mary's fell to Stanford inside Maples Pavilion on opening night but lit things up from beyond the arc, shooting 50% from three with a game-high ten three-pointers. The ten made three's already surpassed last season's single-game high of nine, as Lucy Aherne and Lihi Azouri combined for seven on the night. Azouri made her first start as a Gael after transferring over from Southeastern Louisiana and hit a game-high four threes to finish with 14 points. Niveya Henley, Evelyn Tounkara and Audrey Bhesania each hit a three to round out the ten for the Gaels, their most in a single-game since knocking down 11 against Louisiana-Monroe in 2024.
Freshmen Standouts…
Six players made their collegiate debuts over the Gaels' two-game week, including standout performances from Lucy Aherne and Evelyn Tounkara. Aherne arrived from Australia midseason last year but finally made her collegiate debut against Stanford last week. The 6-foot-1 guard knocked down three threes to finish with 13 points against the Cardinal. Through two games, she leads the Gaels with 9.5 points per game while shooting 44% from the field. Tounkara was arguably the best player off the bench for the Gaels this week, finishing with 11 points against Stanford on Wednesday and a team-high seven points and seven rebounds against Air Force on Saturday. The Canadian has shown three-level scoring ability and also leads the team with nearly five boards a game.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Chico State will meet for just the fourth countable time in their series history and the second consecutive season after a 67-49 victory over the Wildcats last year. Last year's win was the first for the Gaels, as they fell in back-to-back meetings back in 1986 and 1987. A win on Tuesday would go down as the first of the 2026-27 campaign before the Gaels head to the islands for the 2026 Bank of Hawaii Classic starting on Friday, November 13.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS (0-0, CCAA)
Chico State won 20 games last year, competing in one of the best Division II athletic conferences in the country. The Wildcats were the four-seed in the CCAA Tournament with 15 conference wins and were able to defeat Cal State Dominguez Hills in overtime in the opening round. Their season would eventually come to an end with a defeat to No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona in the semifinals, a Broncos team that made it all the way to the Elite Eight with three NCAA Tournament victories.
Brian Fogel enters his 19th season as head coach for the Wildcats and owns a record of 293-191. A win on January 17 against Cal Poly Humboldt last season made Fogel the program's all-time wins leader, as he led Chico State to its third consecutive 20-win season. He has led the Wildcats to six NCAA Tournament appearances and will look to get them back to the Big Dance this season for the first time since 2025.
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
GAME COVERAGE AND INFORMATION
WBB | Saint Mary's vs. Chico State | UCU Pavilion
Moraga, Calif. | Nov. 10 | 7 p.m.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | Tickets
GAELS OUTLOOK
Gaels Hit Ten Three's in Season Opener at Stanford…
Saint Mary's fell to Stanford inside Maples Pavilion on opening night but lit things up from beyond the arc, shooting 50% from three with a game-high ten three-pointers. The ten made three's already surpassed last season's single-game high of nine, as Lucy Aherne and Lihi Azouri combined for seven on the night. Azouri made her first start as a Gael after transferring over from Southeastern Louisiana and hit a game-high four threes to finish with 14 points. Niveya Henley, Evelyn Tounkara and Audrey Bhesania each hit a three to round out the ten for the Gaels, their most in a single-game since knocking down 11 against Louisiana-Monroe in 2024.
Freshmen Standouts…
Six players made their collegiate debuts over the Gaels' two-game week, including standout performances from Lucy Aherne and Evelyn Tounkara. Aherne arrived from Australia midseason last year but finally made her collegiate debut against Stanford last week. The 6-foot-1 guard knocked down three threes to finish with 13 points against the Cardinal. Through two games, she leads the Gaels with 9.5 points per game while shooting 44% from the field. Tounkara was arguably the best player off the bench for the Gaels this week, finishing with 11 points against Stanford on Wednesday and a team-high seven points and seven rebounds against Air Force on Saturday. The Canadian has shown three-level scoring ability and also leads the team with nearly five boards a game.
Series History…
Saint Mary's and Chico State will meet for just the fourth countable time in their series history and the second consecutive season after a 67-49 victory over the Wildcats last year. Last year's win was the first for the Gaels, as they fell in back-to-back meetings back in 1986 and 1987. A win on Tuesday would go down as the first of the 2026-27 campaign before the Gaels head to the islands for the 2026 Bank of Hawaii Classic starting on Friday, November 13.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS (0-0, CCAA)
Chico State won 20 games last year, competing in one of the best Division II athletic conferences in the country. The Wildcats were the four-seed in the CCAA Tournament with 15 conference wins and were able to defeat Cal State Dominguez Hills in overtime in the opening round. Their season would eventually come to an end with a defeat to No. 7 Cal Poly Pomona in the semifinals, a Broncos team that made it all the way to the Elite Eight with three NCAA Tournament victories.
Brian Fogel enters his 19th season as head coach for the Wildcats and owns a record of 293-191. A win on January 17 against Cal Poly Humboldt last season made Fogel the program's all-time wins leader, as he led Chico State to its third consecutive 20-win season. He has led the Wildcats to six NCAA Tournament appearances and will look to get them back to the Big Dance this season for the first time since 2025.
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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