Above photo: Rachel Okoye is one of UMHB’s returning starters heading into a 2025-26 season in which The Cru is ranked No. 25 in the nation (Photo by Luke Zayas/True To The Cru/Backwards Hat Photography)
BELTON — Nationally-ranked in the preseason for the first time since 2022-23, No. 25 UMHB Women’s Basketball knows it has a great opportunity at hand heading into this winter.
In addition to the D3hoops.com Top 25 ranking, The Cru was picked No. 1 in the ASC Preseason poll, a vote of confidence from those who know the conference best. Along with that, Katie Novak-Lenoir’s team returns 67.43% of its production from last season, the most of any of the ASC’s four teams. And that mark includes the presence of four returners who started at least 12 games in 2024-25.
The path to a season of accomplishment begins this weekend, as UMHB hosts Whitman and Emory in a Friday/Sunday two-game home stretch. It’s the first time the Crusaders have opened a season inside the Mayborn Campus Center since 2021-22, and that’s noteworthy considering that in two seasons under Novak-Lenoir, they are 16-4 at home. It was in Belton that The Cru took down Texas Lutheran and Wartburg last season, both teams that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament in March.
Season-opening weekend
Friday, Nov. 7 | vs Whitman | 5 p.m. CT | Mayborn Campus Center
Sunday, Nov. 9 | vs Emory | 12 p.m. CT | Mayborn Campus Center
Broadcast: cruathletics.com/watch
Live Stats: cruathletics.com
A look at the Blues
Whitman is making its second trip to Belton in the last seven years, and does so with a new group leading the way. The Blues were the No. 5 overall seed in the 2025 NCAA Tournament and featured a starting lineup of five seniors and graduate students, including All-American forward Korin Baker. But those veteran starters graduated on the heels of a 27-2 campaign, one that included a 64-50 win over UMHB last December.
Heading into the current season, the focus shifts to junior guard Holly Morgan, as the New Zealand native is the lone returner who averaged above 20 minutes per game last winter. Morgan appeared in all 29 games off the bench, averaging 5.4 points per game along with 55 total assists and 25 total steals. With plenty of quickness on both ends of the floor, Morgan is anticipated to be a key part of the Blues’ approach in Friday’s opener. She isn’t unfamiliar to UMHB, having played a season-high 29 minutes against The Cru last season; a game in which she had four points and three assists.
In the post, junior forward Briana Andrade is expected to be a major contributor for the Blues, and like Morgan, is likely to make her first collegiate start in Belton on Friday night. The Othello, Washington native brings plenty of game experience into her third season with the Blues (52 career appearances), but played in a limited role as a freshman and sophomore. At 5’11, Andrade has a height advantage against a majority of defenders, and was Whitman’s fourth-leading rebounder in 24-25 (3.0 reb/game) despite averaging just 16.4 minutes per game. She also had eight total blocks and 24 steals for the Top 10-ranked Blues a season ago.
But even with Morgan and Andrade, Whitman lacks experience coming into 2025-26, making the Blues a team with plenty of question marks heading into Friday. While Whitman may not have a senior-laden group as it did last season, the Blues figure to be a quality team again, in large part due the leadership of head coach Michelle Ferenz. The all-time coaching wins leader in Northwest Conference history, Ferenz is in her 24th season leading the Blues. Under her guidance, Whitman has posted eight-straight 20-win seasons, a streak that dates back to 2016-17.
A look at the Eagles
Emory, out of the esteemed University Athletic Association (UAA), will play in Belton less than 18 hours after facing Trinity (TX) in San Antonio on Saturday night. The noon matinee on Sunday features an Emory squad that was picked No. 3 in the UAA’s Preseason Poll and brings back over half of its production from 2024-25. The Eagles enter this season aiming at a return trip to the NCAA Tournament, having earned at-large bids in both 2023 and 2024 before missing the postseason narrowly last spring.
Alexandra Loucopoulos is the name to know when looking at Emory’s projected starting five, as the 5’8 junior guard comes off a stellar sophomore campaign. A native of Holmdel, New Jersey, Loucopoulos led Emory in both scoring (11.8 PPG) and steals (1.8 steals/game) on her way to D3hoops.com All-Region honors. A talented shooter who has shown an ability to score at all three levels over her first two college seasons (.431 FG%, .330 3pt% between 2023-25), Loucopoulos will need to be a priority in UMHB’s defensive gameplan.
Along with Loucopoulos in the backcourt, senior Lily Kennedy (6.6 PPG in 24-25) and junior Mary Mullinax (7.1 PPG in 24-25) are also experienced returners for the Eagles. Kennedy primarily came off the bench last season, but the Cincinnati native was one of Emory’s most efficient scorers, leading the team in field goal percentage (48.1%). Mullinax, standing at 5’10, is versatile and plays on the wing with the capability to score both inside and outside. Mullinax had two double-doubles last season, including a 15-point, 11-rebound performance against a Carnegie Mellon team that reached the second round of the NCAA Tournament. In the post, look for senior Katherine Martini (6.4 PPG, 3.6 RPG in 24-25) to step up as Emory graduated a pair of senior forwards.
Who leads The Cru in 2025-26?
UMHB brings back its top two leading scorers from last season in senior forward Josie Bruder and junior guard Katelen Brooks. The duo led a balanced scoring attack for much of the 2024-25 campaign, with Bruder making a significant jump from 5.0 PPG as a sophomore to 12.1 PPG as a junior, along with going from 1.8 rebounds per game to 4.2 per game. A native of Plano, Texas, Bruder’s shooting range was put on display throughout last season. Standing at 6’1, she was a reliable scorer in the post, but also led the team in 3-pointers (40) and shot 35.4% from beyond the arc, earning Second Team All-ASC honors.
Brooks, a talented shooting guard from Corpus Christi, averaged 9.1 PPG and returns in the backcourt alongside 2024-25 ASC Newcomer of the Year Rachel Okoye. Okoye, who transferred in from Western Texas College prior to last season, enters her senior year after making 20 starts and dishing out 2.2 assists per game. Senior forward Amillion Fowler is also back following a 2024-25 season in which she made 12 starts and put up eight double-digit scoring performances.
The Cru also brought in a handful of newcomers to add to the returning group, including transfers Kyley Atkinson (Midwestern State), Amari Welch (Tyler JC), and Madyson Solis (UT-Permian Basin). Atkinson, a 6’0 post player, saw action in 12 games as a freshman at the D2 level last season, tallying three multi-rebound games. Welch had several double-digit scoring efforts in her first season at Tyler JC in 23-24, including a 20-point performance against Coastal Bend CC, in which she went 5-of-11 from 3-point range. Solis played in 12 games during her lone season at UTPB, including a six-point, 10-rebound performance against Arlington Baptist.
UMHB’s freshman class is made up of Mumford’s Natalia Galvan (a two-time District MVP), Flatonia’s Allie Uzzell (2024-25 TABC All-Region honoree), Lubbock’s Pierce Scheppler (Lubbock HS leading rebounder 23-24 and 24-25), and Marissa Hernandez (All-District 25-5A as a senior).
A win on Friday night would be…
- UMHB’s sixth consecutive season with a win in its home opener
- The Cru’s first victory over Whitman since Dec. 7, 2019, and their second win all-time over the Blues
- The program’s 39th win under Katie Novak-Lenoir, who enters her third season leading The Cru
- UMHB 40th victory at home in the last five seasons
