Friday, November 14
Edmond, OK
5:00 P.M.
St. Cloud State
vs
RV Washburn
St. Cloud State Women’s Basketball Readies for Season Opener in Oklahoma with Central Region Challenge
11/12/2025 12:15:00 PM | Women's Basketball
Huskies take on Washburn and Central Oklahoma
St. Cloud, Minn. – St. Cloud State Women's Basketball tipoff their season this weekend in Edmond, Oklahoma with the Central Region Challenge. The Huskies will take on RV Washburn on Friday, November 14 and then Central Oklahoma on Saturday, November 15. Friday's game is set for 5:00 p.m. while Saturday's game is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
Follow the Huskies
Both games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network (registration required). Live Stats will be provided by the host school, Central Oklahoma, for both games. More information of the event can be found on the Central Region Challenge home page.
NSIC Preseason Poll
Coming into this season, St. Cloud State was projected to finish fifth in the 2025-26 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Huskies return 12 players from last season's team with senior guard Jada Eggebrecht being named the player to watch.
Head Coach Lori Fish enters her 18th season with St. Cloud State ahead of the 2025-26 season. Fish and the Huskies are coming off a 2024-25 campaign that saw them finish eighth in the NSIC after tallying a 15-14 overall record with an 11-11 mark in NSIC play. Persevering through an injury plagued season, the Huskies still reached the NSIC Tournament and came away with a 64-53 win against Minot State in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals. Their season would come to an end after falling to the eventual NSIC Tournament Champions in Concordia-St. Paul.
"We have a highly motivated group that continues to challenge and push each other daily, consistently putting in the work," said Fish. "Our younger players gained valuable experience last season while navigating a year impacted by injuries. As we move forward, we are eager to get healthy and excited to see what this team can accomplish together."
Entering her senior season coming off her third All-Conference selection, Jada Eggebrecht is primed for another standout season. Last year in her junior year, Eggebrecht led the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game while shooting 41.6% from the field, 35.3% from three, and a single season program record of 94.7% from the free throw line. She also averaged 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 stocks per game. The Phillips, Wisconsin native crossed 1,000 career points last year and enters the season 31st with 1,111 points and an opportunity to crack the top 15 in program history. She also sits eighth all-time in career three-pointers made with 137.
"Jada continues to elevate her game and challenge herself each day to be the best she can be," said Fish. "We have asked a lot of her over the past three seasons, and this year will be no different. She is a tremendous leader both on and off the court—someone her teammates know they can always count on."
The Huskies will also be headlined by All-Conference honorees in junior Alana Zarneke and redshirt junior Ashley Sawicki. Zarneke had a breakout sophomore campaign where she averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 stocks per game. She also shot 39.9% from the field, 39.4% from three, and 84.3% from beyond the arc. She took on a prominent role on both ends for SCSU while starting in all 29 games to earn Second Team All-NSIC. Sawicki appeared in three games prior to injury and averaged 6.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks. The year prior in 2023-24, Sawicki captured Second Team All-NSIC honors after averaging 10.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, with 1.2 steals and blocks. She also totaled six double-doubles throughout the year.
Other notable returners will be juniors Abigail O'Reilly and Paige Lambe and sophomores Rachel Kottke, Kristi Kottke, Reagan Briggs, and Halle Vande Hey. O'Reilly, Lambe, and Briggs started a majority of games with 11, 20, and 24 starts respectively. Both Kottke's and Vande Hey played key roles off the bench for the Huskies last season.
Rounding out the roster is senior transfer CJ Adamson, redshirt junior Brynn Olson, junior Grace Roesch, redshirt sophomore Kyla Hendricks, and freshmen Elise Groppoli, Annika Peper, and Laynie Meister. Adamson transferred from Augustana after spending three seasons with the Vikings. She started 42 games in her tenure and averaged 2.0 assists per game.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
Returning to the NSIC will be the North and South Division. With the insertion of Jamestown to the NSIC, divisions will be back in play for the first time since the 2022-23 season now that there is an even number of teams. The top 12 overall teams will make the NSIC Tournament.
Poll Results (Division Ranking)
Series History
Friday's game against Washburn will be the third all-time meeting between the programs. St. Cloud State is 1-1 against Washburn with the most recent game occurring last year at Halenbeck Hall.
The first half was tightly contested as St. Cloud State led 28-26 at the break. The Huskies began to take control in the third quarter as Alana Zarneke splashed a three-pointer to cap off a 15-4 run for St. Cloud State. SCSU outscored Washburn 19-7 in the third quarter and led 47-33 going into the fourth quarter. Knocking down three early three-pointers to start the fourth, Washburn forced a St. Cloud State timeout with 11-2 run to set the score at 49-44 at the 6:32 mark of the final frame. The Huskies responded with a 6-0 run out of the timeout as Ashley Sawicki forced a Washburn timeout after finishing a layup with 2:50 remaining in the game. That run would be all needed to seal the game as St. Cloud State would come away with a 63-51 victory over Washburn. The defense for the Huskies was phenomenal all game as they forced 28 turnovers and held Washburn to 39.6% from the field and 28.6% from three. St. Cloud State tallied 25 points off those 28 turnovers.
Saturday's game against Central Oklahoma will be the second matchup between the teams with St. Cloud State taking the lone matchup last year at Halenbeck Hall.
The Huskies got off to a strong start as they led 20-13 after the first quarter. St. Cloud State in the opening frame shot 50% from the field and made seven of their eight free throw attempts while holding UCO to a mere 31% from the field. The teams battled in the second quarter as St. Cloud State outscored Central Oklahoma 22-20 to lead 42-13 at the halftime break. The third quarter saw the Bronchos take momentum as the game started to get tight. UCO outscored SCSU 16-10 in the period as the Huskies would hold a narrow 52-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter. St. Cloud State regained control early as they used a 6-2 run to take a 58-51 lead with 6:42 remaining. The battle raged on as UCO used a 9-5 run to set the score at 63-60 with 44 seconds remaining. The ensuing offensive possession for the Huskies saw Jada Eggebrecht attack the paint and get fouled on her layup attempt. Eggebrecht made one of her two free throws to give St. Cloud State a two-possession lead of 64-60 with 20 seconds remaining. The St. Cloud State defense came up big with a much-needed stop as Alana Zarneke secured a big defensive rebound where she would get fouled. Zarneke would make both of her free throws, but UCO almost instantly drained a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to bring them within three-points. The Huskies would call a timeout and then inbound the ball to Eggebrecht who calmly knocked down both free throws to set the score at 68-63. SCSU came up with another big stop as a rebound would seal their first victory of the season with a win over Central Oklahoma.
Scouting Washburn
The Washburn Ichabods will be opening their season against the Huskies on Friday. Washburn is coming off a 2024-25 season where they tallied an 18-13 record with an 11-8 mark in conference play. The Ichabods finished fifth in the MIAA and reached the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament before losing to Pittsburg State. Washburn comes into this season projected to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and are receiving votes in the first Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
Washburn returns their two top players from last season in Yiibari Nwidadah and Payton Sterk. Nwidadah led the Ichabods in scoring with 16.9 points to go with 8.0 rebounds while shooting 62.6% from the field. Sterk was right behind Nwidadah in scoring with 15.7 points per game while shooting 41.5% from the field, 38.0% from three, and 84.6% from the free throw line. She also totaled 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Gabi Giovannetti is the final returning Ichabod that scored in double figures. Giovannetti averaged 11.6 points per game last season.
Head Coach Lora Westing enters her fourth season with Washburn in 2025-26. She has accumulated a 42-46 record in her tenure and has guided the Ichabods to two straight MIAA Tournament appearances.
Scouting Central Oklahoma
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos will also be opening their season this weekend in the Central Region Challenge. The Bronchos produced an 8-20 record with a 7-12 record in MIAA play. Central Oklahoma finished 12th in the MIAA and did not reach the postseason. UCO comes into this season projected to finish 12th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The offseason saw the Bronchos lose three of their four top scorers from last year. The lone returner of the four was Talia Pogi who averaged 10.3 points on 31.4% from the field. She also totaled 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Head Coach Hannah Moeller begins her first season at Central Oklahoma ahead of the 2025-26 season. Moeller comes from Mid-America Christian University where she totaled a 202-75 record with 20+ wins in every full season during her nine-year tenure.
Central Oklahoma will take on NSIC foe No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State on Friday before facing the Huskies on Saturday.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Basketball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
Follow the Huskies
Both games will be streamed live on the MIAA Network (registration required). Live Stats will be provided by the host school, Central Oklahoma, for both games. More information of the event can be found on the Central Region Challenge home page.
NSIC Preseason Poll
Coming into this season, St. Cloud State was projected to finish fifth in the 2025-26 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. The Huskies return 12 players from last season's team with senior guard Jada Eggebrecht being named the player to watch.
Head Coach Lori Fish enters her 18th season with St. Cloud State ahead of the 2025-26 season. Fish and the Huskies are coming off a 2024-25 campaign that saw them finish eighth in the NSIC after tallying a 15-14 overall record with an 11-11 mark in NSIC play. Persevering through an injury plagued season, the Huskies still reached the NSIC Tournament and came away with a 64-53 win against Minot State in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals. Their season would come to an end after falling to the eventual NSIC Tournament Champions in Concordia-St. Paul.
"We have a highly motivated group that continues to challenge and push each other daily, consistently putting in the work," said Fish. "Our younger players gained valuable experience last season while navigating a year impacted by injuries. As we move forward, we are eager to get healthy and excited to see what this team can accomplish together."
Entering her senior season coming off her third All-Conference selection, Jada Eggebrecht is primed for another standout season. Last year in her junior year, Eggebrecht led the team in scoring with 13.3 points per game while shooting 41.6% from the field, 35.3% from three, and a single season program record of 94.7% from the free throw line. She also averaged 3.3 rebounds, 2.2 assists, and 1.1 stocks per game. The Phillips, Wisconsin native crossed 1,000 career points last year and enters the season 31st with 1,111 points and an opportunity to crack the top 15 in program history. She also sits eighth all-time in career three-pointers made with 137.
"Jada continues to elevate her game and challenge herself each day to be the best she can be," said Fish. "We have asked a lot of her over the past three seasons, and this year will be no different. She is a tremendous leader both on and off the court—someone her teammates know they can always count on."
The Huskies will also be headlined by All-Conference honorees in junior Alana Zarneke and redshirt junior Ashley Sawicki. Zarneke had a breakout sophomore campaign where she averaged 11.1 points, 4.7 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 2.0 stocks per game. She also shot 39.9% from the field, 39.4% from three, and 84.3% from beyond the arc. She took on a prominent role on both ends for SCSU while starting in all 29 games to earn Second Team All-NSIC. Sawicki appeared in three games prior to injury and averaged 6.7 points, 8.3 rebounds, 2.7 steals, and 1.7 blocks. The year prior in 2023-24, Sawicki captured Second Team All-NSIC honors after averaging 10.9 points, 7.0 rebounds, with 1.2 steals and blocks. She also totaled six double-doubles throughout the year.
Other notable returners will be juniors Abigail O'Reilly and Paige Lambe and sophomores Rachel Kottke, Kristi Kottke, Reagan Briggs, and Halle Vande Hey. O'Reilly, Lambe, and Briggs started a majority of games with 11, 20, and 24 starts respectively. Both Kottke's and Vande Hey played key roles off the bench for the Huskies last season.
Rounding out the roster is senior transfer CJ Adamson, redshirt junior Brynn Olson, junior Grace Roesch, redshirt sophomore Kyla Hendricks, and freshmen Elise Groppoli, Annika Peper, and Laynie Meister. Adamson transferred from Augustana after spending three seasons with the Vikings. She started 42 games in her tenure and averaged 2.0 assists per game.
Preseason Coaches' Poll
Returning to the NSIC will be the North and South Division. With the insertion of Jamestown to the NSIC, divisions will be back in play for the first time since the 2022-23 season now that there is an even number of teams. The top 12 overall teams will make the NSIC Tournament.
Poll Results (Division Ranking)
- Minnesota State (No. 1 South)
- Concordia-St. Paul (No. 2 South)
- Sioux Falls (No. 3 South)
- Southwest Minnesota State (No. 5 South)
- St. Cloud State (No. 4 South)
- UMary (No. 2 North)
- MSU Moorhead (No. 1 North)
- Minnesota Duluth (No. 3 North)
- Minot State (No. 4 North)
- Northern State (No. 5 North)
- Minnesota Crookston (No. 6 North)
- Winona State (No. 6 South)
- Wayne State (No. 7 South)
- Bemidji State (No. 7 North)
- Jamestown (No. 8 North)
- Augustana (No. 8 South)
Series History
Friday's game against Washburn will be the third all-time meeting between the programs. St. Cloud State is 1-1 against Washburn with the most recent game occurring last year at Halenbeck Hall.
The first half was tightly contested as St. Cloud State led 28-26 at the break. The Huskies began to take control in the third quarter as Alana Zarneke splashed a three-pointer to cap off a 15-4 run for St. Cloud State. SCSU outscored Washburn 19-7 in the third quarter and led 47-33 going into the fourth quarter. Knocking down three early three-pointers to start the fourth, Washburn forced a St. Cloud State timeout with 11-2 run to set the score at 49-44 at the 6:32 mark of the final frame. The Huskies responded with a 6-0 run out of the timeout as Ashley Sawicki forced a Washburn timeout after finishing a layup with 2:50 remaining in the game. That run would be all needed to seal the game as St. Cloud State would come away with a 63-51 victory over Washburn. The defense for the Huskies was phenomenal all game as they forced 28 turnovers and held Washburn to 39.6% from the field and 28.6% from three. St. Cloud State tallied 25 points off those 28 turnovers.
Saturday's game against Central Oklahoma will be the second matchup between the teams with St. Cloud State taking the lone matchup last year at Halenbeck Hall.
The Huskies got off to a strong start as they led 20-13 after the first quarter. St. Cloud State in the opening frame shot 50% from the field and made seven of their eight free throw attempts while holding UCO to a mere 31% from the field. The teams battled in the second quarter as St. Cloud State outscored Central Oklahoma 22-20 to lead 42-13 at the halftime break. The third quarter saw the Bronchos take momentum as the game started to get tight. UCO outscored SCSU 16-10 in the period as the Huskies would hold a narrow 52-49 lead heading into the fourth quarter. St. Cloud State regained control early as they used a 6-2 run to take a 58-51 lead with 6:42 remaining. The battle raged on as UCO used a 9-5 run to set the score at 63-60 with 44 seconds remaining. The ensuing offensive possession for the Huskies saw Jada Eggebrecht attack the paint and get fouled on her layup attempt. Eggebrecht made one of her two free throws to give St. Cloud State a two-possession lead of 64-60 with 20 seconds remaining. The St. Cloud State defense came up big with a much-needed stop as Alana Zarneke secured a big defensive rebound where she would get fouled. Zarneke would make both of her free throws, but UCO almost instantly drained a three-pointer with seven seconds remaining to bring them within three-points. The Huskies would call a timeout and then inbound the ball to Eggebrecht who calmly knocked down both free throws to set the score at 68-63. SCSU came up with another big stop as a rebound would seal their first victory of the season with a win over Central Oklahoma.
Scouting Washburn
The Washburn Ichabods will be opening their season against the Huskies on Friday. Washburn is coming off a 2024-25 season where they tallied an 18-13 record with an 11-8 mark in conference play. The Ichabods finished fifth in the MIAA and reached the semifinals of the MIAA Tournament before losing to Pittsburg State. Washburn comes into this season projected to finish second in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll and are receiving votes in the first Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) Poll.
Washburn returns their two top players from last season in Yiibari Nwidadah and Payton Sterk. Nwidadah led the Ichabods in scoring with 16.9 points to go with 8.0 rebounds while shooting 62.6% from the field. Sterk was right behind Nwidadah in scoring with 15.7 points per game while shooting 41.5% from the field, 38.0% from three, and 84.6% from the free throw line. She also totaled 3.4 rebounds and 2.3 assists. Gabi Giovannetti is the final returning Ichabod that scored in double figures. Giovannetti averaged 11.6 points per game last season.
Head Coach Lora Westing enters her fourth season with Washburn in 2025-26. She has accumulated a 42-46 record in her tenure and has guided the Ichabods to two straight MIAA Tournament appearances.
Scouting Central Oklahoma
The Central Oklahoma Bronchos will also be opening their season this weekend in the Central Region Challenge. The Bronchos produced an 8-20 record with a 7-12 record in MIAA play. Central Oklahoma finished 12th in the MIAA and did not reach the postseason. UCO comes into this season projected to finish 12th in the MIAA Preseason Coaches' Poll.
The offseason saw the Bronchos lose three of their four top scorers from last year. The lone returner of the four was Talia Pogi who averaged 10.3 points on 31.4% from the field. She also totaled 2.8 rebounds and 1.9 assists.
Head Coach Hannah Moeller begins her first season at Central Oklahoma ahead of the 2025-26 season. Moeller comes from Mid-America Christian University where she totaled a 202-75 record with 20+ wins in every full season during her nine-year tenure.
Central Oklahoma will take on NSIC foe No. 18 Southwest Minnesota State on Friday before facing the Huskies on Saturday.
For all the latest on St. Cloud State Women's Basketball, stay tuned to SCSUHuskies.com and follow the team on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
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