Women's Basketball 3/10/2026 8:00:00 PM

SCSU Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament East Regional Preview

Women's Basketball 3/10/2026 8:00:00 PM

SCSU Women’s Basketball NCAA Tournament East Regional Preview

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Southern Connecticut women's basketball will host the NCAA Division II Women's Basketball East Regional for the first time since 2007, where the Owls went on to win the 2007 NCAA Division II National Championship. The no. 1 seed, Owls will be playing in the NCAA East Regional Quarterfinal on Friday, March 13 against no. 8, Saint Michael's in the James Moore Field House at 5:00 pm.

No. 1 Southern Connecticut Women's Basketball vs. No. 8 Saint Michael's College
Date: Friday, March 13
Time: 5:00 pm
Location: James Moore Field House (New Haven, Conn.)
Tickets | Interactive Bracket | Live Video | Tournament Central

Ticket Information (per session):
Adults: $10.00
Students/Seniors: $6.00
Tickets are good for all games on the date purchased and will only be available for purchase online.

NCAA East Regional First Round Games on Friday, March 13:
Game 1: #6 Felician vs. Felician 12:00 pm ET
Game 2: #7 Mercy vs. #2 Bentley – 2:30 pm ET
Game 3: #8 Saint Michael's vs. #8 Southern Connecticut – 5:00 pm ET
Game 4: #5 Holy Family vs. #4 Assumption – 7:30 pm ET

2025-26 Season Notes:

Southern Connecticut women's basketball finished the regular season with an overall record of 21-5 and had an NE10 record of 16-2.
The Owls won the 2026 NE10 Championship, for the first time since 2007, by defeating no. 1 seed, Bentley, 59-50.
The Owls' 24 wins are the most wins recorded since the 2011-12 season that saw Southern win 25 games.
Southern defeated their opponents, by double digit margins in 20 games and held their opponents under 60 points, in 23 games this season.
The Owls have won 18 of their last 20 games, with just two losses on their record in the past two months of play.
After the 75-52 loss to Bentley on Jan. 4, Southern went on a 11-game win streak, which included a 57-39 victory over Bentley at the James Moore Field House on Jan. 31.
Southern scored the most points in a single game this season with 104 points in a victory against Georgian Court.
The Owls had the best single-game three-point field goal percentage against Saint Michael's with 71%.
Southern is ranked third in DII in assist/turnover ratio with a ratio of 1.29 and is ranked eighth in assists per game with 17.6 assists per game.
The Owls have consistently led the NE10 in scoring offense (average of 68.6 points per game), scoring margin (15.4), defense (average of 53.2 points per game), three-point field goal percentage (34.9%), free-throw percentage (76%), assist/turnover ratio (1.29) and assists (average of 17.6 assists per game).
Southern Connecticut tied with Bentley for the most All-Conference and All-Defensive Team selections with five.
Tish Blackwood was named NE10 Rookie of the Year, was named to the All-NE10 Second Team and the All-Rookie Team. Rheyna Steinauer was named to the All-NE10 First Team. Hope Fox and Jillian Martin were named to the All-NE10 Third Team, while Fox was also named to the NE10 All-Defensive Team and became the first player in program history to be named to the All-Defensive Team.

SCSU vs. Saint Michael's History:

This is the first meeting between the Owls and the Purple Knights in the NCAA Tournament. All-time, Southern Connecticut has a 27-12 series record against Saint Michael's.
This will be the fourth time this season that the Owls and Purple Knights will play against each other.
Saint Michael's defeated Southern, 86-68 on Nov. 25, Southern defeated the Purple Knights, 59-50 on Jan. 24 and on Senior Day, the Owls defeated Saint Michael's, 88-63 on Feb. 21.

Owls Notes (Numerical Order)
Hope Fox
#1 | Guard | Senior | Guilford, Ind. | East Central HS
10.0 PPG | 3.1 APG | 5.5 RPG | 2.5 SPG | 32.8 MPG | .400/.366/.870

Team Captain
2026 Northeast 10 Conference Championship Most Outstanding Player
2026 Northeast 10 Conference All-Championship Team Honors
2025-26 All-Northeast 10 Conference Third Team Honors
2025-26 Northeast 10 Conference All-Defensive Team Honors
First player in program history to be named to the NE10 All-Defensive Team
Led the NE10 in free-throw percentage with 87%.
Ranked second in the NE10 in steals with an average of 2.5 steals per game.
Ranked seventh in the NE10 in assists with an average of 3.1 assists per game.
Ranked 16^th in the NE10 in rebounds with an average of 5.5 boards per game.
Recorded the second-most steals (9) in a single-game in program history and tied for the most steals in a single game in the NE10 in the 61-42 victory over Franklin Pierce.
In the NE10 Championship Semifinals, Fox had a team-best of 20 points, with seven rebounds, six assists, five steals, three blocks, was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, 2-for-3 from beyond the arc and 7-for-15 from the floor in the in the 71-54 victory over Southern New Hampshire.

Rheyna Steinauer
#2 | Forward | Senior | Oakville, Ontario | Lincoln Prep
14.8 PPG | 2.3 APG | 5.7 BPG | 27 MPG | .433/.375/.827

Team Captain
2025-26 All-Northeast 10 Conference First Team Honors
Ranked fourth in the NE10 in scoring with an average of 15 points per game.
Ranked third in the NE10 in free-throw percentage with 82%.
Ranked fifth in the NE10 in three-point field goal percentage with 37.5%.
Ranked 13^th in the NE10 in field goal percentage with 43.3%.
Recorded the most 30+ point performances in the NE10 this season, with three.
Scored a career-best of 31 points, with 12-for-18 from the floor, 4-for-6 from beyond the arc, grabbed five rebounds and had two assists in the 74-59 victory over American International.
Had a team-best of 22 points, with a career-best of five made, three-pointers, a career-best of six assists, four boards and three steals in the 88-63 victory over Saint Michael's.

2026 Northeast-10 Conference All-Championship Team Honors
Ranked first in the NE10 in three-point field goal percentage with 42.3%.
Ranked fifth in the NE10 in three-point field goals per game with an average of 2.0 three-pointers per game.
Scored a career-best of 18 points three times, in victories against Saint Michael's, Adelphi and in the NE10 Semifinal victory against Southern New Hampshire.
Recorded 12 points and grabbed six boards in the 59-50 NE10 Championship victory over Bentley.

Jillian Martin
#4 | Guard | Graduate Student | Orange, Conn. | Amity Regional HS
7.3 PPG | 4.4 APG | 2.6 RPG | 35.1 MPG | .401/.323/.825

Team Captain
2026 All-Northeast 10 Conference Third Team Honors
2026 Northeast 10 Conference All-Championship Team Honors
Totaled the most assists in the NE10 this season with 129 assists.
Played the most minutes in the NE10 this season, with 1,014 minutes played.
Ranked second in the NE10 in assist/turnover ratio with a ratio of 1.9.
Ranked third in the NE10 in assists with an average of 4.4 assists per game.
Scored a career-best of 21 points, with 8-for-11 from the floor, 5-for-7 from beyond the arc, with a team-best of seven assists and four boards in the 86-55 victory over Post on Dec. 31.
Had her first two double doubles of her career with 12 points and 10 assists, both against Mercy and American International. 10 assists are tied for the second-most assists dished out in a game in the NE10 this season.

Scored a season-best of 13 points, with five made field goals, four boards and a steal in the 104-59 victory over Georgian Court.
Grabbed a season-best of nine rebounds, had eight points and was 4-for-6 from the floor in the 86-55 victory over Post.

Tish Blackwood
#11 | Forward | Freshman | Falmouth, Mass. | Tilton School
11.3 PPG | 9.1 RBG | 2.3 APG | 1.4 SPG | 0.7 BPG | 27.1 MPG | .468/.631

2025-26 Northeast 10 Conference Rookie of the Year
2025-26 All-Northeast 10 Conference Second Team Honors
2025-26 Northeast 10 Conference All-Rookie Team Honors
Eight-times overall, seven consecutive weeks straight as the NE10 Women's Basketball Rookie of the Week
Ranked first in the NE10 in rebounds with an average of 9.1 boards per game and grabbed the most total rebounds by an individual player with 184 rebounds.
Led the NE10 in double doubles with 11 and from Jan. 10, 2026-Jan. 24, 2026, she recorded six straight double doubles.
Ranked fifth in field-goal percentage in the NE10 with 47.6%.
Ranked 13^th in the NE10 in blocked shots with an average of 0.7 blocks per game.
Ranked 15^th in the NE10 in steals with an average of 1.4 steals per game.
Ranked 15^th in the NE10 in assists with an average of 2.3 assists per game.
Scored a career-best of 26 points, with 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, grabbed seven boards, had six assists and a block in the 69-56 victory over Pace.
Grabbed a career-best of 22 rebounds in the 70-39 victory over American International on Jan. 17. Her 22 rebounds are the most rebounds totaled in a single game in the NE10 this season and are the third-most rebounds recorded in program history. In addition, she scored 18 points and had five assists against the Yellow Jackets.

Taeya Steinauer
#12 | Guard | Sophomore | Oakville, Ontario | Lincoln Prep
11.6 PPG | 2.3 APG | 4.1 RPG | 32.4 MPG | .418/.311/.761

Ranked eighth in the NE10 in steals with an average of 1.9 assists per game.
Ranked 14^th in the NE10 in blocks with an average of 0.7 blocks per game.
Ranked 15^th in field goal percentage in the NE10 with 41%.
Ranked 16^th in the NE10 in assists with an average of 2.3 assists per game.
Scored a career-best of 25 points with 11 made field goals, three, made three-pointers, four boards and two steals in the 61-42 victory over Franklin Pierce.
Totaled a career-best of nine rebounds, six steals, five assists and 14 points in the 70-56 victory over Mercy.

Jaycee Merizalde
#14 | Guard | Freshman | Monroe, Conn. | Perkiomen

Scored her first career points as an Owl against American International on Nov. 19, 2025.
Totaled a career-best of two steals in the 104-39 victory over Georgian Court.

Maya Henry
#15 | Guard | Senior | Fairfield, Conn. | Fairfield Warde
1.5 PPG | 6.8 MPG | 0.8 BPG | 0.4 APG | .389/.333/.800

Scored a career-best of six points at Assumption, with 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and from the floor.
Made a career-best of four made free-throws, three times, against Assumption, Mercy and in the NE10 Semifinal victory over Southern New Hampshire.
Totaled a career-best of two steals in victories against Adelphi and Mercy.

Lovie D'Onofrio
#25 | Guard | Freshman | Bethany, Conn. | Amity